People’s Party urges peace talks after deadly southern attacks
Civilians caught in crossfire as pressure mounts on stalled negotiations
A wave of violence in Thailand’s Deep South has sparked a fierce call to action from the People’s Party, which is demanding the government restart peace talks and urging insurgents to stop slaughtering innocent civilians.
The opposition People’s Party has issued an open letter calling on the Thai government to urgently resume stalled peace talks with insurgent groups, while also demanding an immediate end to attacks targeting civilians.
The letter, published on the party’s official Facebook page, was addressed to the government, the insurgents, and the Thai public. It follows a surge in deadly violence across Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and four districts in Songkhla since the beginning of this year, with a sharp escalation over the past two weeks.
The party expressed alarm over what it described as a disturbing shift in targets by Malayu Muslim insurgents, who now appear to be deliberately attacking defenceless civilians, including monks, women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Recent incidents highlighted in the letter include:
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April 18: A former Islamic teacher was shot dead while returning from a mosque.
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April 22: A blind mother and her daughter were murdered.
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May 2: An elderly person and a child were killed and injured.
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May 4: A male civilian was shot dead in Pattani’s Yaring district.
The People’s Party warned that the ongoing violence is fuelling rage and sorrow among both Buddhist and Muslim communities, eroding public trust in the peace process and pushing the region closer to chaos.
“Violence against innocent people will only generate hatred and prejudice against Muslim Malayu people,” the letter read. “It will obstruct understanding and sympathy for the injustices faced by the Muslim Malay population and provoke retaliatory calls that fuel an endless cycle of violence.”
The party said peace can only be achieved through political dialogue, not bloodshed. It condemned civilian attacks as violations of Islamic teachings, Thai law, and international human rights standards.
Slamming the government for lacking a coherent southern policy, the party noted that formal peace talks have been on ice for nearly a year. It urged leaders to reinitiate negotiations and create joint platforms for both Thai Buddhists and Malay Muslims to craft locally driven solutions, reported The Nation.
To the public, the People’s Party offered a final warning: retaliation plays directly into the hands of those who seek to divide.
“Thai society must confront the situation in the South with conscience. We must encourage all sides to seek solutions through political dialogue, the only way to bring about enduring peace.”
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