The mysterious "disappearance" of Hassan Taib
Hassan Taib, the chief peace talk negotiator of the Barisan Nasional Revolusi (BRN) has probably been held under “house arrest” somewhere and stripped of his role in the peace process.
Informed sources close to Mr Hassan said that he was last seen early December and has not been heard of or sighted ever since.
Thai security sources also confirmed the "disappearance" of Mr Hassan and said that the man who has a permanent residence in Malaysia might have been kept out of the public by Malaysian authorities although this was yet to be confirmed by Kuala Lumpur.
The informed sources pointed out at Mr Hassan’s last appearance in a video clip posted on the social media on December 1 in which he referred himself as the former BRN chief peace talk negotiator was an indication that he no longer had any role in the peace process or the supreme council of the BRN or DPP has decided to pull out of the peace talks with the Thai government.
It was earlier reported that certain factions of the BRN were unhappy with the peace talks as some moderate figures of the separatist group were killed during the Ramadan fasting month last year despite the declaration of a ceasefire during the period.
The "detention" of Mr Hassan was meant to contain the internal conflict within the BRN from spreading, said the sources, adding that the DPP issued a statement last December announcing its pullout from the peace talk process.
Mr Hassan Taib was regarded by Thai authorities as a moderate within the BRN. He led the BRN in three rounds of peace discussion with the government headed by Lt-Gen Paradorn Pattanathabutr, secretary-general of the National Security Council, in Kuala Lumpur.
It was reported that Mr Hassan reluctantly joined the peace talks because he was forced to do so by Malaysian government at the request of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The Thai side, said the sources, is concerned that the replacement of Mr Hassan with a hard-core representative will make the next rounds of peace talk – if there is any – more difficult because Mr Hassan is broadminded and comfortable to deal with.
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Caption : Hassan Taib