With deep sorrow, we have learned that Prof. Dr. Parichart Suwanbubbha, a Member of the KAICIID Advisory Forum, has passed away. Widely recognized as a talented and powerful peace mediator in the Buddhist-Muslim conflicts in southern Thailand and in national conflicts in Thailand, Prof. Suwanbubbha earned international respect as a Buddhist theologian with profound scholarship in Buddhist ethics, Christianity, interreligious dialogue, and ethical education. Her expertise in peaceful non-violence, peace building and conflict resolution provided a source of invaluable support for KAICIID’s Advisory Forum and the Centre.
Prof. Dr Suwanbubbha and her coworkers conducted dialogue for children in detention centers and for prisoners, especially prisoners of national security cases, in south Thailand. Her work was motivated by the belief that through the cooperation and leadership of all religious leaders in acting as mediators and role models reconciliation and a sustainable and positive peace can be achieved. In working with religious leaders in Thailand to ease violent tensions, she supported the successful empowerment and action of interreligious leaders, women, youth and civil society in a ‘peace dialogue' process especially between Thailand’s government and the insurgents many intra-religious and interreligious dialogues had been conducted.
The Centre’s Board of Directors, Advisory Forum and the staff extend their sincere condolences to Prof. Dr. Parichart Suwanbubbha's family for their loss, and will hold her memory dear.
Dr. Suwanbubbha received her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and her MA in religious studies from the University of Chicago. She has worked as an instructor in the Graduate Program on Religion and Development, Department of Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. She was also a former director of Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, at Mahidol University in Salaya Nakornpathom, Thailand. Dr. Suwanbubbha also served as a secretary of the Religions for Peace’s Inter-religious Council of Thailand. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Suwanbubbha was also a board member of Globethics.net Foundation in Switzerland.