Sihasak Phuangketkaew Seeks Malaysian Cooperation for Peace in Southern Thailand

Bangkok: Prime Minister Sihasak hopes Malaysia will cooperate in bringing peace to southern Thailand and will hold its first UNCLOS reconciliation meeting in September. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sihasak Phuangketkaew, discussed the government's efforts to foster unity between security forces and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPC) through strategic meetings. According to Thai News Agency, Sihasak highlighted the importance of Malaysia's role in security and border area development, particularly as the Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC) is set to visit Malaysia on August 17-18. Sihasak emphasized the need for Malaysia's increased involvement to facilitate discussions, with the broader goal of establishing peace in the southern border provinces of Thailand. Sihasak acknowledged the challenges posed by differing opinions among groups involved in previous talks, necessitating a review of strategies and negotiation processes that have been temporarily halted. He revealed plans to appoint the chairman of the reconciliation committee on August 14th, with the first discussions scheduled for September. Progress is being made under the Compulsory Conciliation Act of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as Thailand and Cambodia evaluate candidates for the conciliation committee president. Venues for the upcoming meetings include maritime law firms in Europe and Asia, specifically in The Hague, Paris, Singapore, and Vietnam. Addressing the controversy over Tom Andrews' human rights report on the Thai-Cambodian border, Sihasak confirmed that counterarguments have been submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). He remains confident that the report will not adversely affect Thailand's international standing and anticipates that many countries will be receptive to Thailand's perspective.