Thawil says peace process will continue but of different format
Peace talk between the government and southern separatist groups led by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional has been suspected since the middle of last year raising a big question about the fate of the peace process – whether it is still on or whether it has collapsed.
When Mr Thawil Pliensri was reinstated as secretary-general of the National Security Council as a result of the ruling of the Supreme Administrative Court on March 7, a question was immediately raised about whether he would carry on with the peace process or not. Several critics even criticized him of objecting to the process which was brokered by Malaysia.
On Sunday May 11,the news team of Isra news agency had a chance to sit down with Mr Thawil for an exclusive interview at the Sirindhorn military camp in Pattani during the latter’s visit of the restive region.
In the interview, Mr Thawil made clear that he was willing to talk with the separatist groups but the level of the talk would not be the same with the previous one between then NSC chief Lti-General Paradorn Patthanathabutr and Hassan Taib of the BRN which, he said, did not respond to the wish of the people in the three southernmost provinces.
Mr Thawil insisted that the previous peace talk was responsive to the aspiration of Paradorn and fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on one side and the BRN on the other side with the people in the restive region being just the spectators watching from the sideline.
In principle, he explained that the peace process must start with a dialogue between the government and the local people to address their pressing problems – and not to respond to the aspirations of certain vested interest groups.
The NSC chief pointed out that the Paradorn-Hassan peace process was badly flawed because there was no roadmap. "Nobody knew what the BRN had proposed because the people involved in the talk kept it confidential. And if anyone wanted to find out the information about the talk, they had to go to the BRN instead of the government," he said.
Mr Thawil explained that his proposed format of peace process was to start with a dialogue among all the governmental agencies involved since include the military, the Internal Security Operations Command, the National Intelligence Agency, the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the NSC to work out the common strategy or plan.
In practice, he said the process must start with him taking the initiative to meet with authorities in the region, including the commander of the Fourth Army Region, the secretary-general of Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and the local police.
But he stressed that the push for the peace process would not be successful without political will – that is it must have the full consent of the political side on the condition that the political side must be professional.
Mr Thawil said that the three-year old southern administration and development strategy was about time to be revised.
What needs to be revised is that the strategy must encompass the global currents – that is importance must be attached to foreign relations with countries in the Middle East and Organisation of Islamic Conference.
He also stressed the importance of unity of all governmental agencies in their approach toward the southern unrest problem without which there is a slim chance of success.
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Caption : Mr Thawil Pliensri