A former separatist leader offers help to resolve southern unrest
A former southern separatist leader said that the ongoing peace talks process between the government and separatist groups would be successful only when the real perpetrators of the violence in the deep South were involved in the process.
"The fact that the problem cannot be resolved because we still cannot find the real perpetrators. That we have not yet found the perpetrators because they do not belong to any organizations. We only focus on the organizations as the key players – which is not right because the trouble-makers small factions of people who made troubles because they were not satisfied with something," said Dr Wan Kadir, former president of Patani Bersatu movement, in a recent interview with the Isranews agency.
Dr Wan Kadir arrived in Thailand on November 27 to participate in a panel discussion on the unrest problem in the deep South held at the Thai Journalists Association on November 28.
The former Bersatu movement leader voiced his support for the peace talks process but pointed out that the process would work only when the perpetrators of violence were involved in the process.
He said that the separatist groups such as Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), PULO and BIPP which have been involved in the peace talks could not control the perpetrators who are not answerable to the groups.
There is a good prospect for peace because there are many separatist groups which are interested to join the peace talks, said Kadir. He however noted that peace talks process was just one of the aspects which need to be addressed.
Besides the panel discussion that he joined on Thursday, the former Bersatu leader said he was willing to help resolve the unrest problem.
A Pattani native by birth, Dr Wan Kadir finished secondary education from Benjamarachuthit school in Pattani before furthering his studies abroad. He used to work in the Accelerated Rural Development Office of the Interior Ministry also used to work for the CIA. He taught at a few universities in Malaysia and twice lived in exile in Sweden.
He is currently living a quiet life in Malaysia.