THE COOPERATION OF THAILAND AND MALAYSIA IN FINDING SOLUTIONS TO THE CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN BORDER PROVINCES

Abstract

This research aimed to study the cooperation of Thailand and Malaysia in finding solutions to the conflict in southern border provinces, together with problems and obstacles to the cooperation of the two countries in finding solutions to the conflict in the southern border provinces, as well as study the supporting factors to the cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia. The research used qualitative research methods from primary sources and semi-structured interviews with seven key informants, including political parliamentary officials in various committees related to solving the Conflict in Southern Border Provinces and ordinary parliamentary official with knowledge of international relations at the professional level or higher, as well as revised secondary data from documents related to the peace dialogue process in southern border provinces. data were analyzed using content analysis.

The research results revealed that Thailand and Malaysia had cooperated securely since independence in 1957. At the same time, problems of insurgency and violence related to a demand for Pattani's independence began to emerge. However, 2013, a formal peace dialogue process began, with Malaysia performing as a facilitator. For the problems and obstacles in the cooperation between the two countries, there were internal and external factors, such as historical perspective, roles, and the positioning of facilitators. The supporting factors to the cooperation, especially in the peace dialogue process, including the exchanges of official visits between Thai and Malaysian leaders and third parties in the peace dialogue process, should gain trust and acceptance from both conflicting parties.