Almost two weeks after laying siege to Bangkok, the People's Movement for a Just Society (P-Move) has decided to end its protest as the Srettha Thavisin government has promised to consider its list of 10 demands.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has been assigned to deal with the grassroots group. The cabinet has agreed to set up seven sub-committees, comprising state officials and P-Move representatives, to work out solutions for the problems listed.
Most are long-standing issues left by the previous government like forest and land conflicts and also the right of locals to gain access to resource management.
P-Move insists their fight is aimed at benefitting grassroots people as a whole, not just those affiliated with the group.
P-Move is well aware that some issues require legal changes.
While insisting that it would prefer policy changes, rather than case-by-case solutions, the group brought to the cabinet's attention three urgent cases that require immediate action.
They are the rights of Bang Kloi Karen to return to their ancestral land in Phetchaburi's Kaeng Krachan National Park, land conflicts on Satun's Lipe island, and a contentious road project that threatens a community rice farm in Nakhon Pathom.
In particular, the group said it was concerned over the Srettha government's policy to upgrade land reform ownership documents to title deeds.
At a glance, it seems some progress has been made in the negotiations this time and that the group has something to hand as they head home.
But the fact is such promises were made before by the last government or previous governments in past decades. Numerous committees or sub-committees were formed to consider the group's demands, but the group still struggles with its causes.
The last demonstration was in February 2022 during the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration. Then deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwon was asked to consider P-Move's demands.
Thamanat Prompow, then deputy agriculture minister and the right hand man of Gen Prawit, was the government's key contact person. It ended with a memorandum of understanding, and the formation of committees and sub-committees.
However, Mr Thamanat, who is now the agriculture minister, vowed this administration would make a difference and that he would see to the group's demands.
During a visit to P-Move at the protest site, Mr Thamanat said he would also ensure that lawsuits against demonstrators during previous protests would be suspended and each sub-panel would meet within 30 days.
It seems like a good start. Yet the real challenge is how to transform these government promises into action.
After all, bureaucracy is the main obstacle to efforts to ease villagers' plight. State officials in some local areas, and also those at high levels in Bangkok, tend to drag their feet or do nothing. This is why the group and local people have to travel to Bangkok again and again.
P-Move leaders are determined to work with other key players to realise their goals. Among them, the opposition camp has a few demands that cannot be achieved without legal changes. The judiciary and the current court system also make it easy for state officials to breach local rights. Take for example the Bang Kloi case.
That said, the end of the protest on Tuesday is just the start of the fight.