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Thailand to shift strategy for southern insurgency peace talks

The plan, led by National Intelligence Agency chief Thanut Suvarnananda, aims to move away from a “deal or no deal” and toward confidence-building measures after past talks stalled.

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Thailand is preparing to change its approach to a long-running insurgency in its Muslim-majority southern provinces and to revitalize the peace process, Bangkok’s chief negotiator said, as violence continues in one of Southeast Asia’s oldest conflicts.

The insurgency, which has killed more than 7,800 people since 2004, was last driven mainly by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN). Reuters reported that the latest flare-up included an attack last month in which five security personnel were killed.

The peace process, which began with talks facilitated by Malaysia in 2013, has stalled repeatedly due to changes in Bangkok’s governments, divisions within both sides, and an emphasis on trading concessions for reduced violence, Reuters said.

Thanut Suvarnananda, appointed in April to lead the peace process, said he wanted to move away from what he described as a transactional approach, saying his principle is not “deal or no deal,” and pointing to earlier confidence-building steps that produced limited results, according to Reuters.

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