Children Affected by Armed Conflict in the Borderlands of Thailand, 1st ed. 2021

This book explores how children have been affected by armed conflict in the borderlands of Thailand, particularly in the region abutting the Thailand-Myanmar border, and in the most southern part of Thailand. The author argues that  the Thai government has made great efforts to protect children from armed conflict in these borderlands. The author analyzes the obstacles facing the Thai government in protecting children from armed conflict in the borderlands, and advances alternative solutions for how the Thai government might better protect children from armed conflict in the foreseeable future. This book not only opens a window for future research on children affected by armed conflict in the borderlands of Thailand and beyond, but also contributes to the breadth of perspective and depth of expertise in related fields, such as studies of human insecurity. It is relevant to scholars, graduate students, and policymakers interested in the impact of armed conflict on children.   

Acknowledgments.- List of Abbreviations.- Introduction: For The Living and The Dead.- 1. Child Soldiering in Thailand: A Ticking Bomb.- 2. Child Soldiering on Thailand-Myanmar Border: The God’s Army and Beyond.- 3. Child Soldiering in Thailand’s Deep South: Stories of Or Ror Bor and Chor Ror Bor.- 4. Security Governance of Child Soldiering: What Stakeholders Have Done.- 5. Why Thai Children Are Still Involved in Child Soldiering? : Lessons Learned.- 6. Transnational Public-private Partnership: A Second-best Solution.- Conclusion: Looking Ahead.- Bibliography.- Index.

Kai Chen, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the School of International Relations, Xiamen University, China. His principal research focuses on the nexus between human insecurity and international relations, especially children affected by armed conflict in the borderlands of the conflict-affected countries. His previous positions include post-doctoral fellow at the School of Public Administration, Zhejiang University, and post-doctoral fellow at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University. He has held visiting appointments at the University of Oxford, King’s College London, National University of Singapore, Kyoto University, Lund University, Cardiff University, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Chulalongkorn University, Thammasat University, etc. He is the author of Comparative study of child soldiering on Myanmar-China border: evolutions, challenges and countermeasures (Springer, 2014), and On geo-cultural relations between China and Indo-China Peninsula countries (Xiamen University Press, 2016).