Archive: December, 2009

From the field 5 Years of War in Thailand’s Deep South

Pattani, Yala and Narithiwat, are on the Thai side of the Thai-Malaysian border. In an majority Buddhist country, these three provinces are around 80% Muslim. For the past 5 years these 3 provinces have been the centre of a conflict which, according to Songkhla University, over 12,500 violent incidents have left over 10,000 people have injured or killed. The government is now reporting that the violence has spread to the neighboring Songkhla province. Read more >>>

From the field Youth peace club and careers training

Beginning in 2007, ARF-Pattani have been running a peace training program in 36 schools in the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwar. Students are taught about human rights and the importance of peace. Living in conflict zones, many of the students bring personal stories of lives affected by violence – many have lost a family member, or know somebody who has. By learning about their rights, students are able to protect their basic rights, and will be better able to speak out about human rights abuses. Read more >>>

New Local Correspondents

This year we’ve relaunched Insight on Conflict, including this blog, which has given us greater scope to report on the many brave peacebuilding initiatives that continue in conflict regions. Over the next year, we plan to expand the site to include several more conflict regions. We will therefore be seeking new Local Correspondents to report on these conflicts. For more information, please visit this page. Read more >>>

Life in the ‘Red Zone’ of South Thailand

Since 2007 the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat in south Thailand have been known as the “Red Zone” – the area which has been most affected by armed violence and in which the government feels terrorist organisations have the most influence. Since becoming the ‘Red Zone’ people living in the region feel they have lost the power to control their destiny. People are scared to talks to anyone outside their own village; even people in the same village rarely speak about the conflict amongst themselves. Read more >>>

From the field Peace volunteer program

The violence in South Thailand began in 2004 and has showed little signs of subsiding. In an effort to reverse the trend, The Southern Border Province Administration Centre (SBPAC) and Mahidol University established a peace training program in 2007. The 3 month course would train 125 local officials in South Thailand in peacebuilding techniques. In 2008, SBPAC and Mahidol University took 69 of the participants to become ‘Peace Volunteers’ to put what they had learned into practice in their local areas. Read more >>>

Commentary DR Congo: Kimia II to end on December 31st

The UN have announced that the controversial Kimia II mission will end on December 31st 2009. Kimia II is a joint operation between the UN Mission in DR Congo (MONUC) and the national army (FARDC) to end the threat of Hutu rebel group, the FDLR, in the eastern provinces of North & South Kivu.
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Peace Direct & The Independent Christmas Appeal

Peace Direct has been chosen, along with ActionAid UK & Computer Aid, to be part of the Independent’s Christmas Appeal. The Independent is one of the UK’s largest daily newspapers and over the coming weeks you will be able to read stories from some of the organisations on this site. Read more >>>

From the field ‘Our Past Must Not Determine Our Future’

Eastern DR Congo has been the scene of unimaginable violence and human rights abuses since 1996. Women and children above all have suffered the worst of the violence. With many living in isolated rural areas, they have been extremely vulnerable to the various armed groups operating in DR Congo, and often deliberately targeted for attack and rape. Read more >>>

Commentary The Great Elephant in the Traps

Today, everybody is talking about peace and stability in the Great Lakes Region; a place of reconciliation between countries which were once living in suspicion. The Republic of Rwanda and DR Congo have exchanged their ambassadors, a new ambassador of DR Congo has started his work in Burundi, and the East African Community is slowly taking shape. The Community of Central African countries is on the move, and the Southern African countries are also promising to strengthen their relations. Time to look ahead, for a common bright future. Read more >>>

Commentary Non-violent communication training in Sri Lanka

The Sandhi Institute in Sri Lanka has announced a 10-Day In-depth Residential Training in Nonviolent Communication at the beginning of February 2010. To find out more visit www.sandhi.org Read more >>>