In the no-confidence debate, a People's Party MP has blamed the Prime Minister’s incompetence and lack of political will for the escalation of violence in the Southern Border Provinces.

In Romadon Panjor’s presentation of Deep South Watch data, the number of insurgency events has been steadily rising. Despite an earlier decline to 334 incidents in 2020, attributed to peace negotiations and a shift to a political approach. There were 481 incidents in 2021, 488 in 2022, and 481 in 2023, before rising to 632 in 2024 under this government's watch. For 2025, there were 84 incidents between January and February.

Despite 560 billion baht spent over the last two decades, three special laws governing the area, and a 50,000-strong force from the Internal Security Operations Command, the government is no closer to resolving the conflict. Instead, old patterns of insurgency are resurfacing, as demonstrated by the bombing at a convenience store in Bannang Sata last month, which left 11 injured and 1 dead.

“Did you know that the National Strategy states that, in 2027, the next 2-3 years, the violence will drop to zero? But I asked as many officials from nearly all agencies at the level of committee meetings as I could meet and talk to, and not a single one is confident that we will achieve this goal by 2027,” said Romadon.

Instead of appointing new delegates to continue the peace dialogue after former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s removal last year, Paetongtarn Shinawatra did nothing for six months, despite nudges from civil society, the Malaysian facilitators, and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), a key party to the conflict.

When Paetongtarn visited Malaysia for the first time in December last year, she did not introduce a key figure for the negotiations. In fact, she failed to address the importance of continuing the peace process during the press conference, despite it being mentioned in the joint statement, leaving Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the facilitator, to emphasize the issue.

“This is one of a number of very shocking and regrettable issues. Instead of our Prime Minister giving a clear commitment to our important partners, giving an assurance to the public that our peace process will continue, it was the Prime Minister of another country who stood firm on this problem of ours. This is a very problematic role played by our Prime Minister.”

By jeopardizing the peace process, the Prime Minister is undermining the initiative pioneered by former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2013, which was later revealed to have been facilitated by Thaksin Shinawatra to support his sister. The process took more than a decade to flesh out, later developed through the 2019 Berlin Initiative and the General Principles of the Peace Dialogue in 2022.

The Prime Minister's lack of political will has put people at risk during Ramadan. With no negotiating team appointed, the government has been communicating through the National Security Council, requesting a ceasefire during Ramadan to allow for the appointment of a negotiating team and the lifting of the emergency decree. The other side has neither accepted nor denied the request. Just one week into Ramadan, violence has erupted at several points in the southern border region.

This request was made during the Yingluck Shinawatra government in 2013 but failed. However, in 2022, a 40-day ceasefire was successfully initiated. All parties, including the BRN and civil society, actively participated, with a clear process for communication in case of incidents. The goal was not only a ceasefire but also to emphasize the importance of the peace process, with strong political will being key to its success—something Romadon argues is lacking in the current government.

To resolve the conflict, the government must also deliver justice to the victims. However, Paetongtarn failed to bring the officers responsible for the Tak Bai incident, which occurred during Thaksin’s premiership, to court before the statute of limitations expired. This includes Gen Pisarn Wattanawongkiri, a Pheu Thai party-list MP who was allowed to flee abroad to escape prosecution and then resigned.

By allowing impunity to persist, the government risks escalating violence. Romadon cited Maroso Chantrawadee, a victim of the military's atrocities during the Tak Bai incident who later took up arms and was killed in a clash with the military in 2013, as a reminder of the importance of de-escalation through justice before grievances turn into violence.

The People's Party MP argued that Paetongtarn’s incompetence has led her to seek her father’s help. Not only was Thaksin appointed as an ASEAN advisor, which led to discussions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, but he also presided over talks with officers involved in the southern border provinces for the first time in 20 years in February, assuring the locals that peace would prevail next year.

However, this raises the issue of accountability, as the Prime Minister, who is responsible for the issue, took no action and instead allowed a consultant with no authority to take the lead. Romadon quoted as an example Thaksin’s statement during his visit to the Deep South regarding the Tak Bai Massacre:

“The work may have its mistakes at times. If I have made any errors which were not satisfactory, I apologize, so that we can return to helping to solve the problem together. I don’t want the small unresolved suspicions to linger. But Muslim brothers and sisters have been taught first, to love peace, and second, to learn to forgive. Therefore, when I say I apologize for anything I have done that was unsatisfactory or wrong, I apologize as well.”

Pichet Chuamuangphan, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives acting on behalf of Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, then requested that Romadon wrap up quickly as it was late at night and he was repeating himself. Romadon gave this response to Thaksin's statement: "Sir, excuse me. Who are you to tell Muslims that they must forgive?"