CHALLENGES AND POTENTIAL FOR THE SOUTHERN THAILAND PEACE NEGOTIATION PROCESS: REDUCTION OF VIOLENCE AND CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES

The armed conflict in Southern Thailand is the longest conflict in world history because it has been happening since the 18th century. This conflict began with the Siamese attack and conquest of the Patani sultanate in 1786 and since then the southern Thai region has always been in turmoil until to today. The conflict that occurred also affected neighboring countries, especially Malaysia. The Thai government and the separatist agreed to appoint Malaysia as a facilitator for the peace negotiation process signed in 2013 and since then, Malaysia has played a very important role in reconciling the two sides. It is a research problem that has been identified involving the question of the extent to which the importance of achieving the reduction of violence and the cessation of hostilities needs to be given attention and implementation first in determining the smoothness of the peace process and then involving public consultation and political solutions. Among the objectives of this study is to identify the main factors that contribute to the tension and conflict in southern Thailand, analyze the effectiveness of peace negotiations that have been carried out before, identify the factors that influence their success or failure, analyze the importance of implementing the reduction of violence and the cessation of hostilities for the continuation of public consultations and political solutions as well as proposing strategies and recommendations to increase the effectiveness of peace negotiations and overcome the challenges faced. This study will use qualitative research methods by analyzing primary and secondary data. The reduction of violence and the cessation of hostilities is very important for this peace negotiation process as it is the determinant for a political solution and public consultation,