Does the Constitution Guarantee the Peace Process in Mindanao and Thailand’s Deep South Conflict?

Abstract

The study aims to understand how conflict is transformed through a constitution and a peace process by comparing the Bangsamoro conflict in Southern Mindanao, the Philippines, and the conflict in the Deep South of Thailand. This study is done through document analysis, with qualitative data derived from the ongoing research project. This comparative study found that peace agreements, constitution text, peace infrastructure, law, and people’s participation are relevant to sustainable peace. A case study of the Bangsamoro conflict found that there have been many obstacles to establishing a political structure in Bangsamoro over time. However, the Philippines' constitution clearly stipulates the autonomy of Mindanao as a guarantee for a peace deal. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Deep South is still in violent conflict and the area is administered through special agencies such as Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center. Therefore from this study, the lessons of the constitution and the peace process in the Bangsamoro conflict could inspire adaptation of that agenda into the Sothern Thailand peace process through constitutional amendment and political institutions. A peace structure must be inclusive to pursue guarantees for lasting peace in Thailand’s Deep South.