Civic movements are upbeat about the next round of the peace dialogue between the government and separatist groups on June 13, and plan to present their own "roadmap" to peace.
The idea emerged from meetings last week when members of the Civil Society Council of Southernmost Thailand debated how they could become actively engaged in the fledgling process of talks in Malaysia between Thai government representatives and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) movement and other separatist groups.
The meeting agreed to formalise the process with greater participation from other civic movement networks to prepare a joint proposal, CSO Council member Soraya Jamjuree said on Friday.
"Some 150 people representing some 50 organisations will discuss what steps are to be taken under the guidance of Dr Norbert Ropers (from Berghof Peace Support)," said Ms Soraya.
The June 10 meeting is expected to come up with a set of recommendations with a timeframe attached, added Ayub Pathan, another prime mover of the roadmap discussions.
Ms Soraya said the proposals would be presented to both sides at the negotiating table, and not just to the Thai government side.
However, there were concerns whether the Thai negotiators really intend to press for some positive results from the BRN, she said.
Maj-Gen Nakrob Bunbuathong, deputy director of Internal Security Operations Command, Region 5 and a member of the Thai delegation to the BRN talks, conceded that the Thai side should be more clear and resolute in defining who should be present at each round of talks, to ensure the government a strong bargaining position.
"We might need to discuss and plan what we expect from each meeting, and if we make some efforts following their requests, such as on justice issues [prisoner release], then what will the Thai side get from the BRN in return," said Maj-Gen Nakrob.
Angkhana Neelapaijit, chair of the Working Group on Justice for Peace, said civil society organisations working on a peace proposal should be thorough and transparent and engage as many stakeholders as possible before reaching a conclusion or making recommendations to the peace talks.
"When people say civil society proposals should be defined by the insiders, we may have to ask them to take into account that (in the far South) local Thai Buddhists' voices are no less significant than the Malay Muslims'," Ms Angkhana said in Bangkok.
She was also disturbed by the rush in pushing for a set of recommendations from civil groups for the June 13 talks in Malaysia.
"Engaging the voices of as many stakeholders as possible is an equally important process, and it should not be limited to timeframe of the state-organised talks. After all, if there are ongoing talks, it is unlikely the process will end on June 13, isn't it?" said Ms Angkhana.
Pattani senator Anusart Suwannamongkol said the scholars and civil society engaging in preparing a peace roadmap for Pattani peace was a dedicated group, but perhaps it also needed an input from those representing the grassroots people, and others as well.
"Above all, we need the Thai state to speak for other Thai locals who also suffer from the violence, not just repeat the BRN propaganda to the Thai public again," said Mr Anusart.
Unless the violence could be reduced and the safety of non-Malay Muslims ensured, the bargaining chips on the negotiating table would be wobbly, the Buddhist senator said.
