Starting Pont
Dr Pechdaw Tohmeena is a female politician who advocates for women’s participation in the peace process and the cultural rights of minority groups. She is a physician who received her education in Malaysia. She used to work at the Ministry of Health and was the director of the Centre for Psychological Wellness no. 15, which took care of the three southernmost provinces.
Dr Pechdaw comes from a family with a strong political background. She is a daughter of Former MP Den Tohmeena and a granddaughter of Haji Sulong Abdulkadir al-Fatani, also known as Haji Sulong Tohmeena or Haji Sulong. Haji Sulong was a Malay spiritual leader/ educator and politician who advocated for the rights of the Malays and mysteriously disappeared in 1954.
When asked why she decided to advocate for peace in the southern region, it was because her family was accused of being the ones behind the violence in the south, and she wanted to prove the accusation wrong.
In 2005, she was appointed to one of the 48 committees of the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC). This crucial position placed her in the national and official peacebuilding missions set up by the government. The NRC conducted research on the conflict, came up with a comprehensive research report on both state-citizen and citizen-citizen relationships, and proposed measures and long-term policies to tackle the unrest to the Thai government.
Peace Processes
After her roles in the NRC from 2005 to 2006, Dr Pechdaw continuously worked for peace in both formal and informal ways. She holds at least two official positions: advisor to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation and Chairperson of the Subcommittee on the Study and Participation of People in Peacebuilding for the Southern Border Provinces.
For the former position, she proposes to the Ministry that there is a need for academics to conduct more research in the three southernmost provinces. There is much research on the conflict itself. However, research on the people's quality of life and livelihood is lacking. “In order to transform this conflict and end violence, it is crucial for the state and the civil society to tackle some surrounding issues like education, poverty and development as well, and we are in need of insights into these dimensions,” said Dr Pechdaw.
For the latter position, she works on promoting a better understanding of the conflict among all stakeholders. She ensures all parties involved or affected by the conflict and violence have platforms to share their experiences, concerns, grievances, and views on conflict transformation and peacebuilding schemes. In the interview, she stressed that the subcommittee would enhance participation from 3 key groups: women, youth, and the socially marginalised groups in the south. It is also important to have other Thais living in different regions of Thailand participate in these platforms.
As a chairperson of this subcommittee, the other issue she attempts to propose to the government is drafting Thailand’s first Peace Act. According to her view, to tackle holistically and effectively the Unrest, Thailand needs a special law that asserts her perception of national unity and peace. The act will serve as a pillar for the people and the state to work not only for peace but also for unity, security, and development. She envisages that if this Peace Act is issued and implemented, Thailand will move forward for a better state of positive peace, protection of human rights, social equality, and prosperity.
Success Stories
Dr Pechdaw has accomplished greatly in the well-being enhancement for the people in the southernmost region. As a physician, she has long engaged in work tackling the mental health issues of the victims of violence. Peace and the end of violence are the goals of her peacebuilding and advocacy. However, it is also essential to promote individuals’ well-being. Once these individuals are ready mentally, they can play constructive roles in the conflict transformation.
When asked what she considers her success stories, Dr Pechdaw mentioned how she pushed the government to make the southern Thai Buddhists’ 10th month of merit-making for ancestors a public holiday. “I saw that it is unfair for the Buddhists there not to have their holidays for this crucial date of their cultural calendar. They have the right to be free from work and celebrate this occasion at temples with their family,” said Dr Pechdaw.
Other two achievements she highlights are her appointment to serve as a committee member of the NRC in 2005 and her appointment as the expert in psychological consultation and rehabilitation for victims of terrorism in 2015 by UNCTC (United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center). She still holds this position to the present.