Peace and conflict resolution for southern Thailand by peace journalism : a case study of the english daily the Nation

Abstract

Since January 2004, Thailand experienced a resurgence of violent and deadly disturbances in 4 of her 5 Southern Malay Muslim provinces. The resurgence is marked by very gruesome killings. The violence has affected both the local economies and the social fabric of these provinces. This research examined the basis for the resurgence of violence in Southern Thailand and analyzed The Nation’s journalistic style and methodology for its contributions to peace in Southern Thailand. This objective entailed identification of the “actors”, root cause of the violent conflict and also explored possible and viable solutions to resolve the conflict. Whilst objective (a) concentrated on content, objective (b) entailed analysis of style and methodology for peace journalism. There is some suggestion that the current generation of militants are not of the same ideological genre as the earlier militants that fought for a separate Patani state. The inspirational forces that motivate them are different. The Nation’s reports helped readers to understand that the violent conflict, being waged by nameless and faceless perpetrators, has a significant but unclear connectivity with Islamic religious aspirations. The newspaper has also illustrated that peace cannot be restored when the right order of human affairs, well-being is not in place. Historical local grievances suffered by the Malay Muslim communities in terms of state-sanctioned oppression, lack of justice and cultural alienation has made and will continue to make Southern Thailand a story of ethnic-religious struggle of great intensity which now has the grave potential of spilling out of the region. This research investigates the pro-peace stance discernible in the newspaper’s contents, style and methodology.