Peace talks in limbo?

The ongoing peace talks between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group appear to hit the snag due to conflicts within the BRN and Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) which also wants to join the talks.

          Well-informed security sources said the recent upsurge of violent incidents for instances the ambush of a bomb demolition squad in Narathiwat’s Rueso district on September 27 followed by a fatal car accident in which five policemen on their way to reinforce the besieged squad were killed and the roadside bombing of an armoured car in which four soldiers died could be linked to conflicts in the BRN between those who want peace talks and others who against the process.

          Other separatist groups such as Pulo might have carried out violent incidents to pressure the government to include them in the talks, the sources theorized.

          In the BRN, this is a high possibility that its chief negotiator, Hassan Taib, could be sidelined and replaced by someone else who, according to some sources, might be Sapa-ing Basor, a core leader of the DPP, the lead organization of the separatists.

          However, an informed source from an independent organization pointed out that if Hassan’s successor was Sapa-ing it would mean that the BRN intended to downgrade the peace talks because Sapa-ing was just a staff member of Hassan’s negotiating team.

          The BRN, he explained, does not want to walk out of the talks for now because it wants to save Malaysia’s face.  Sapa-ing, he added, is not happy with Malaysia’s heavy-handed involvement in the talks.

          The theory that the BRN was forced into peace talks with the government was backed up by General Akkanit Moensawat, former chief of the Army’s border coordinating centre, and former senator Kraisak Choonhavan.

          The retired general believes that the BRN’s 38-page of explanation in English of its five demands might actually be written by Malaysia and not by BRN as widely thought.  Kraisak, meanwhile, used to say that most separatists who live in Malaysia distrust Malaysia and do not want it to assume the role of a mediator.

          Informed security source said that if the BRN’s new chief negotiator is not Sapa-ing but someone else while Hassan is kept as the advisor then there is a chance that the peace talks will proceed.

          General Akkanit claimed that BRN is now split into three factions and three ideas.  He suggested that the three factions work out a common stand first before resuming talks with the government.

          It was reliably reported that the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre had recently dispatched a team of officials to Sweden to hold discussions with exiled separatists there, particularly PULO leaders, about the possibility of bringing them into the negotiating table.

          As for the BRN’s five demands which are being carefully studied by the Council of State, the source said that the feedback was quite negative with opinions expressing serious concern that Thailand will be put in a disadvantageous position if it goes ahead with the talks on the five demands.

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Caption : Sapa-ing Basor

Thanks : Photo from internet