Champion of dialogue offers hope for deep South
Re: “Respecting the differences”, People in the News, January 31.
Your interview with General Akanit Muensawad was uplifting. Hopefully, with the right approach and attitude, the good people of Thailand will indeed be able to use constructive dialogue in efforts to find long-term peace and stability. It has worked in many other countries. Northern Ireland offers a recent example of a militarised insurgency which some said was intractable being handled in such a way as General Akanit suggests. Of course some issues remain and in the long term may need to be addressed, but in Northern Ireland killing in the name of politics has been all but eliminated and daily life has markedly improved.
It is surely more attractive to the populace than the alternatives. I hope that our friends in Thailand will seriously consider adopting such an approach.
Christopher Ruane
