การเมืองเรื่องความกลัวกับการอยู่กับความขัดแย้งในมิติชีวิตประจำวัน บนพื้นที่สามจังหวัดชายแดนใต้

Abstract

For the past 18 years, violence has persisted in Thailand's three southern border provinces without any signs of diminishing. Therefore, this research aims to examine the lives of people who continue to live in this violence-ridden area, focusing on the Thai Buddhist community with a longstanding history of coexistence and relationships with people of different religions. The objectives of this study are: 1) to study the dynamics and management of violence at the political policy level in the three southern border provinces from 2004 to the present; 2) to examine the fear generated by the violent situations and its impact on the relationships among local people in Na Ngam Sub-district (pseudonym); and 3) to understand how individuals cope and negotiate with fear in their daily lives in Na Ngam Sub-district. Data was collected from Thai Buddhists in the study area using a qualitative methodology from 2019 to 2020. The following are three key findings from this study. Firstly, the ongoing structural violence in the three provinces is evolving into an intractable conflict, primarily as a result of the Thai state's use of military strategies to handle these violent situations in the area. These operations have led to a transformation in the identity of local Buddhists, redefining them as 'Thai Buddhists,' who have subsequently become embroiled in the conflict under military and political ideologies. Consequently, this has shifted local relations among people of different religions in the community into political interactions, eventually leading to a breakdown in these relationships. Secondly, the infiltration of violence into the Thai Buddhist community has created a palpable experience of violence for the local Buddhist population. This form of violence has induced fear within the community and this fear has resulted in a redefinition of Malay Muslims, associating them with violent actions. This key element has brought about changes in both the way of interactions and the social spaces of relationships between the Thai Buddhist community and the Malay Muslims. Thirdly, the violence, with the Thai state as a conflicting party and the military operations that have changed the area, has significantly impacted the identity of the Buddhist population. This has led to a shift from a primarily religious and cultural identity to a political and military identity, thereby altering the ways in which the Thai locals of these provinces define and negotiate their identities.