Position Paper of Weaving Peace Together (WPT) Regarding the Situations of Buddhists in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand

In the conflict-affected provinces of southern Thailand, many of the Buddhist minority in the region feel that their situation has been neglected. In an effort to give voice to the Buddhist minority, and support their involvement in efforts to address the conflict and promote peaceful co-existence in the region, an intra-Buddhist dialogue project was launched by the Center for Security Studies in partnership with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University, Thailand. A wide range of representatives of Buddhist communities in the South and from other parts of Thailand were convened for a series of dialogues. They formed themselves into the “Weaving Peace Together” group. This position paper by the group is addressed to the Thai authorities and other stakeholders in the conflict in the southern border provinces of Thailand. It offers a consensus view of the group regarding the situation of Buddhists in the region and a series of recommendations.