Dr Chanintira na Thalang
30 July 2018
Over the past 14 years, the conflict in Thailand’s southern provinces has claimed 7,000 lives, caused numerous injuries, hindered economic and social development and created an atmosphere of mistrust among the population. While there have been several attempts at peace talks which have continued under the current Prayuth Chan-ocha administration, various factors, such as disunity among the insurgents and the closing down of political space at the national level have posed significant challenges to any initiative to resolve the conflict. Dr Chanintira na Thalang will present an overview of the current situation, dissect the complexities of the conflict and highlight the main obstacles and opportunities for pursuing a peaceful resolution. Dr Thalang will also examine the impact of the conflict on inter-ethnic relations at the communal level.
About the Speaker: Chanintira na Thalang is Associate Professor of International Relations at Thammasat University. Her current research interests include ASEAN, ethnic conflicts and ethno-nationalism with a special focus on Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. She is the author of a number of books written in Thai. Her work has also been published in English in a variety of academic journals such as Nations and Nationalism, Asian Survey, Electoral Studies, Journal of Current Southeast Asia and Australian Journal of International Affairs as well as a number of edited volumes including Institutionalizing East Asia: Mapping and Reconfiguring Regional Cooperation (Routledge 2016). More recently, she co-edited a book titled, The State and Status of International Relations as a Discipline in Thailand: Theory and Sub-Fields published with Routledge in 2018.