BANGKOK, May 21 – Thailand’s Muslim-predominant far South is under control with the government’s peace talks with militant groups to continue, a senior Thai security official reasserted today.
National Security Council (NSC) secretary general Paradorn Pattanatabut said the government has maintained peace in southern border provinces, particularly during the start of the new school term.
A new round of peace dialogues with leaders of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) movement will be held June 13 as scheduled, he said, adding that the BRN’s proposals and feedback from the local population in the three southern border provinces will be concluded before the meeting.
The June 13 peace talks, the third session since both sides agreed to jointly find solutions to the southern violence, will be held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur – the venue of the first two meetings.
Lt Gen Paradorn said the Thai government and the BRN group agreed in the last meeting that all proposals will be put on the negotiation table, and not [beforehand] on the Internet as was the case prior to the second peace talks.
He said a proposal by former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyuth to announce the three southern border provinces as a ‘special administrative region’ will not be taken into the Thai authorities’ consideration as it is in contrast to the BRN demand.
