Pol. Col. Tawee points to solutions for southern unrest, advising reduced rigidity and domestic peace talks. He said if we truly cherish harmony, we won't need Malaysia as a mediator. He also met with security officials to monitor the Kamolsak shooting case, which after 218 days remains unresolved. Tags: [southern unrest, peace talks, Malaysia mediation, Kamolsak shooting, security officials]
On 24 Oct 2026 at Narapiamsuk Park, Mueang Narathiwat District, Narathiwat Province, Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong, party-list Member of Parliament and leader of the Prachachart Party, presided over the opening of the 7th annual artificial turf football competition for teachers and educational personnel in the three southern border provinces. Kamolsak Liwamo, Narathiwat MP from Prachachart Party, along with teachers and educational staff, welcomed the event.Tags: [Narathiwat, football competition, teachers, educational personnel, southern border provinces]
Pol. Col. Tawee opened the event by outlining approaches to resolve issues and establish peace in the southern border provinces. Regarding security and the peace process, he identified a key factor prolonging conflict as mutual distrust, which has led to involving foreign actors.Tags: [southern border provinces, peace process, security, distrust, foreign involvement]
“Even in peace talks, when we argue and distrust each other, we ask Malaysia to mediate. But if we truly love harmony and dare to lower our rigidity, allowing everyone to participate, we wouldn’t need to thank Malaysia. We can hold discussions and find solutions ourselves within the country,” Pol. Col. Tawee said.Tags: [peace talks, Malaysia mediation, harmony, domestic dialogue]
Pol. Col. Tawee also spoke on social and multicultural aspects, noting the three southern border provinces lie in the Malay Peninsula, where the primary communication language is Malay with the unique Jawi script as cultural heritage. He said if the government shifts its view from suspicion to genuine promotion, this cultural asset could become a crucial tool for linking the economy and communication with regional countries.Tags: [social aspects, multiculturalism, Malay language, Jawi script, cultural heritage, regional economy]
Education in the area must align with local lifestyles and identities, based on four fundamental pillars: literacy, writing, and numeracy skills, particularly ensuring youth can read and write in Thai, English, and Malay.Tags: [education, local identity, literacy, multilingual skills]
On economic and justice dimensions, Pol. Col. Tawee said peace cannot be achieved amid structural inequality. Citing the World Justice Project’s rule of law index, Thailand ranks 80th with a score of only 0.5, while Singapore, smaller than Bangkok, ranks in the top 10 with scores between 0.7 and 0.8.Tags: [economy, justice, structural inequality, rule of law, Thailand, Singapore]
Comparing economically, Singapore’s average daily income is around 4,000 baht, with a per capita GDP in the millions per year, while Thai workers still demand a minimum wage of 300–400 baht. The three southern border provinces have a per capita GDP of about 80,000 baht per year, despite abundant natural resources. This clearly reflects that a country’s progress is measured by the quality of its people, not the quantity of resources.Tags: [economic disparity, per capita income, southern border provinces, natural resources, development]
Pol. Col. Tawee added that government policy in the area must urgently shift from investing in material infrastructure to investing in people through education. Teachers play a vital role in transforming youth—from ignorance to knowledge, from lack of religion to faith, and from having no future to having one. Furthermore, demographically, while Thailand faces an aging society with birth rates below death rates, only the three southern border provinces maintain birth rates exceeding death rates. Thus, teachers there bear responsibilities beyond teaching; they must nurture minds, lead intellectually, and care for youth like family leaders. Promoting health, well-being, and quality of life among educational personnel is a fundamental strategy to bring sustainable peace back to the southern border provinces.Tags: [education policy, teachers’ role, youth development, demographics, southern border provinces, sustainable peace]
Additionally, Pol. Col. Tawee visited Kamolsak’s residence to meet with security officials and related agencies to follow up on the shooting incident targeting Kamolsak on 20 Mar 2026. To date, over seven months or 218 days have passed, yet the legal process continues without a final court judgment. Local residents closely watch the case concerning political safety and the rule of law’s ability to bring perpetrators to justice.Tags: [Kamolsak shooting, legal process, security officials, political safety, rule of law]
Pol. Col. Tawee, along with Kamolsak and their team, also visited the Jaekar food area (Narathiwat branch) in Mueang District, Narathiwat, to hold a forum gathering feedback from various sectors including government officials, businesspeople, and residents. Discussions covered resolving unrest alongside improving quality of life and the local economy in the southern border provinces.Tags: [community forum, unrest resolution, quality of life, local economy, southern border provinces]
