The Ministry of Culture has launched several activities under its project on social diversity development in mobilizing efforts to tackle problems in the southern border provinces.

Minister of Culture Sermsak Pongpanit said that the project was carried out mainly in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and four districts of Songkhla (Chana, Thepha, Na Thawi, and Saba Yoi), and it was aimed at empowering local communities and promoting the participation of all sectors in the multicultural society of the dep South.

Among the activities was the development of learning centers and art and cultural sites, as well as boosting “soft power” in the southern border provinces. Other activities include exhibitions on local wisdom products, food fairs, cultural performances, Quran recitation competitions, and volunteer programs.

In order to preserve Thai cultural heritage, the Ministry of Culture fully supports the learning and performing of the khon masked drama among young people, comprising both Buddhist and Muslim Thais, in the deep South. This will also provide the opportunity to use a cultural dimension for promoting social harmonization.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently organized an academic seminar on the topic “Enhancing the Role of Youth in Promoting Social Diversity in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand.” Three foreign experts, namely Mr. Rozan Yunos, former Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Brunei Darussalam; Ms. Safira Machrusah, Deputy Secretary-General of the Executive Board of Nadhlatul Ulama and former Ambassador of Indonesia to Algeria; and Mr. Eddin Khoo, Senior Fellow, Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, were invited as speakers to discuss the concept of multiculturalism and the roles of youth in promoting social diversity in Southeast Asia.

Four Thai government officials were invited to exchange views and provide recommendations based on their experiences in youth empowerment in the southern border provinces of Thailand. They included Mr. Pongsak Yingchoncharoen, Mayor of Yala City Municipality; Ms. Anissa Naksevi, First Secretary at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara, Turkiye; Ms. Rohana Hayeeyusoh, Policy and Planning Analyst from the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center; and Mr. Usman Waji, Policy and Planning Analyst, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The Thai speakers offered recommendations on how government agencies could strengthen the roles of youth in promoting diversity and use social diversity to help promote economic and tourism development in the southern border provinces.