KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 – Thailand and Muslim insurgents from the South have reached an agreement on a terms of reference (TOR) for their peace dialogue in the first round of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Thai National Security Council (NSC) Secretary G|eneral Paradorn Pattanathabut said after the 12-hour meeting with core members of several southern Muslim factions that both parties exchanged opinions straightforwardly in moving toward resolution to the crisis in Thailand’s far South.
Both sides said they would report results of the talks to their respective superiors for further decision and set the next talks on April 29, he said.
Among the 15 Thai delegates attending the closed-door session, six were allowed to actively participate while the others were observers.
The insurgent participants, led by Hassan Taib, a liaison officer of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (National Revolutionary Front or BRN), represented different BRN factions. A key member of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) also attended the meeting though PULO leader Kasturi Mahkota earlier announced that his group would not be part of the talks.
Some Malaysian government representatives acting as facilitators were present in the trilingual dialogue in which Thai, English and Malay were spoken.
Lt Gen Paradorn said both sides agreed to alleviating violence and bringing peace to Thailand’s trouble-plagued far South.
“We did not pinpoint on specific areas and timeframe for peace and public order. The BRN representatives requested clarity and justice from the Thai authorities,” he said.
Regarding a report on BRN request to remove about 30,000 insurgent names from the Thai government’s blacklist, the NSC chief said the issue was not raised in the meeting as both sides agreed not to touch on sensitive details in the initial stage.
The controversial issue involves many legal factors and state agencies concerned, he said.
Lt Gen Paradorn said all BRN factions, including BRN Congress and BRN Coordinate, were represented in the dialogue, a sign of unity among themselves as well as the PULO group.
He said he will report on the progress of the talks to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today.
