NIA chief named southern peace head negotiator

Thanut Suvarnananda, the incumbent Director of Thailand’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA), will become the new head of the government’s southern peace dialogue panel.

National Security Council (NSC) chief Chatchai Bangchuad announced the appointment after attending an NSC board meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Thanut, who will reach retirement age this October, previously served as Secretary to the Law Committee of the National Legislative Assembly, Director of the National Intelligence Coordination Centre and Deputy Director of the National Intelligence

Agency. He was later promoted to Director of the agency.

He has decades of experience dealing with issues in the South and maintains close connections with Thai and foreign organisations operating in the region.

His team will include the Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a representative from the Ministry of Justice. Representatives from the Office of the

National Security Council (NSC) and the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 (ISOC Region 4) will serve as members of the dialogue panel and as co-secretaries.

Thanut will be among the few non-military officials appointed to the position. Over the past 13 years, the role of lead negotiator, beginning with the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, was first assigned to Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanathabutr, then Secretary-General of the NSC.

Later, during the government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, all heads of the dialogue panel were military officers, including Gen Aksara Kerdphol, Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat and Wallop Raksanoh.

During the government of Srettha Thavisin, there was a shift towards appointing a civilian as lead negotiator. Chatchai was appointed to the role and was later promoted to NSC chief.

Most recently, during the first term of Anutin’s government in October 2025, Gen Somsak Rungsita, a former NSC secretary-general, was appointed head of the dialogue panel.

Chatchai said the meeting also agreed that cooperation with Malaysia is crucial in resolving issues in Thailand’s southern border provinces.

Efforts will be made to encourage Malaysia to participate in development initiatives and share in the economic benefits, fostering constructive collaboration, he said. This will include closer coordination on law enforcement targeting groups involved in wrongdoing.

Cooperation will also extend to border management, including measures to regulate cross-border movement. Particular attention will be given to groups involved in weapons trafficking linked to unrest in the region, with enhanced bilateral cooperation.

Regarding the peace dialogue process itself, Chatchai said that, alongside talks with Malaysia, equal importance will be placed on parallel domestic dialogue, to ensure both tracks are closely aligned.