FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Whatever its faults, the peace process must be given a chance

Whatever its faults, the peace process must be given a chance

The PM reportedly has doubts about the mara Patani group, but thais - and people everywhere - want an end to the crisis in the far south

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha never liked the idea of MARA Patani, a forum of about six long-standing separatist groups who claimed to be representing the Malay Muslims living in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.

Prayut told his Cabinet back in May that he disapproved of it because it was cooked up by a handful of people and that he doesn’t think it represents the interests and needs of local residents in this historically contested area. 
That was a legitimate and logical argument. But the real reason, some political insiders have claimed, was that his government feared that MARA Patani may evolve into an entity that will become institutionalised and acquire international standing. 
A representative body that has international standing would not exactly be music to the ears of this or previous governments because they are afraid of talking about human rights abuses and the culture of immunity among the government security officials in the restive region, not to mention state policy of assimilation that comes at the expense of the Malays’ cultural and religious identity. 
The lack of cultural space and recognition of the fact that the Malay Muslims embrace a different historical and cultural narrative makes things worse, and until the state addresses these issues, groups like the MARA Patani and the self-proclaimed Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Coordinate of Ustaz Hasan Taib will continue to surface and present themselves as people who can solve the conflict. 
In other words, talking to the “enemy” is nothing new. But doing it in the public spotlight is strange and unprecedented. But this was Thailand’s call. And no one seems to understand, not even the military, why the Yingluck Shinawatra government decided to go public with the initiative when so many questions lingered over the previous administration’s peace talks – like who is Hasan Taib? And does he even have any influence on combatants on the ground, or a mandate from the BRN’s ruling council? 
The same question is being asked of the current crop of so-called BRN representatives at the MARA Patani forum. And the answer is not very convincing. 
To be fair to members of the MARA Patani, Prayut did stated back in December last year when he visited Kuala Lumpur that he would talk to the separatists only if they can come together and formulate a common platform. They would have to deliver a “period of peace” as well. 
Looking tough and in control was on his mind as he didn’t want to be seen as weak and on the receiving end like the YIngluck government, which was engaged in a spitting contest with Hasan and his motley crew. 
So when the separatist leaders got together and formed the MARA Patani and started to “brainstorm” a common stance at the third round of confidence-building talks with the Thais, Prayut was still not happy.
He may not like the possibility, as suggested by the Thai Foreign Ministry that MARA Patani could evolve into something too big to handle. But then again, it is really their business how they want to spin their message or present themselves to the world community. 
Prayut was also demanding that they give him a period of peace – a ceasefire, sort of. Then again, the Thai security apparatus knows very well that the vast majority of fighters on the ground come under the BRN’s chain of command. 
The Thai security and intelligence community made that mistake once – by believing that Hasan Taib was sent to the negotiating table by the BRN ruling council. It didn’t take Hasan, the Thai government and the other stakeholders long to realise that their talks would not get far, especially when the then opposition was looking to Shutdown Bangkok through major street protests.
But that doesn’t mean that this administration can’t be serious about peace and a peace process. This is just the beginning. A bad process is better than no process at all. 
The ruling junta needs to know that the world is watching and wondering what kind of concessions the Prayut government is willing to make, be it to the MARA Patani or Malay residents in the southernmost provinces. 
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