BRN makes new demands
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional has demanded that the government release all suspects held on security-related charges and revoke all the arrest warrants issued against suspected insurgents and their supporters.
The new demands which also include upgrading the role of Malaysia as the mediator instead of facilitator and the inclusion of representatives of ASEAN and the Organisation of Islamic Council as witnesses of the peace dialogue process came two days ahead of the second round of peace talk scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on April 29.
The demands were posted on YouTube social media along with the images of the two BRN core leaders, Hassan Taib and Abdul Karim Kolib, who took part in the first round of talk in KL in March.
National Security Council secretary-general Lt-Gen Paradorn Pattanathabut, the head of the government’s peace talk delegation, said that the posting of the video clip and demands on YouTube was an attempt by the BRN to upgrade the peace dialogue to peace negotiation. He added that he would personally ask Hassan about their new demands at the KL meeting.
One key issue to be raised with the BRN delegation at the meeting on April 29 is the violent incidents which appear to have escalated despite the signing of the peace process framework deal in March.
Meanwhile, Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre secretary-general Pol Col Thawee Sodsong said the release of the BRN clip in the social media could be intended to send a message to the militants in the field to scale down their violent incidents.
The Wada group which has been serving as advisors to Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung on security affairs in the far South will not be represented in the government’s delegation to the peace talk on April 29 in KL. But the Fourth Army Region has fielded another delegate, Maj-Gen Charin Amornkaew, the region’s staff chief.
Critics however said that the release of the video clip on YouTube two days ahead of the peace talk on April 28 was intended to upgrade the peace talk to peace negotiation so that the BRN could formally make their demands to the government.
They suspected that the BRN was capitalizing on the violent incidents to increase their bargaining power in the course of negotiation.
Earlier, General Yutthasak Sasiprapha, advisor to the prime minister on security affairs in the far South, accused the BRN of not being sincere towards the peace process. He said that the son of a BRN leader who took part in the first peace dialogue in March was accused of involvement in the recent bomb attack in downtown Yala province.
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Caption : Hassan Taib on Youtube