On August 28, 2013, Waseda University from Japan and PSU jointly organized a seminar titled “Unrest in the South: Progress or Regress for Thailand and Asia”. The seminar, hosted by PSU in Hat Yai Campus, gathered around 50 participants, students and lecturers from Waseda University and PSU Pattani and Hat Yai Campuses. Twelve students from the Seminar of Peace Building and Peace Study of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Waseda University, under the supervision of Prof. Hidetoshi Taga and Prof. Mitsuru Yamada, actively participated in the seminar with the objective of learning more about issues in the Deep South.

Professor Dr. Amornrat Phongdara, Vice President for International Affairs, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Ram Yamsaengsung, Assistant President for International Affairs, warmly welcomed all participants and thanked our Japanese counterpart for their support and coordination in organizing this seminar. Special thanks also went to Prof. Kenji Oda, Japanese lecturer at PSU Pattani Campus, who successfully coordinated the seminar.

The keynote speakers for the joint seminar were Dr. Shintaro Hara, Japanese lecturer at the PSU Pattani Campus, and Ms. Yasmin Sattar, researcher at the Institute of Peace Studies in PSU Hat Yai Campus. In the afternoon session, PSU and Waseda students worked together in small groups in order to exchange knowledge and experiences on the unrest situation in the South of Thailand and other similar situations in the world.

The Waseda & PSU Joint Seminar was a great opportunity for participating academic staff and students to share and learn more about the unrest situation in the South, including the fundamental information on the conflict and ongoing attempts of solution.