Special team to Malaysia to discuss resumption of peace dialogue
A special working team has recently been dispatched to Malaysia by an order of National Council for Peace and Order chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha to convince Kuala Lumpur of Thailand’s commitment to peace dialogue process and her reconfirmation of Malaysia’s facilitator’s role in the process.
During the weekly address on August 15, General Prayuth touched on the southern unrest problem and the peace dialogue. He said that the Thai side had been in contact with Kuala Lumpur and would discuss with the Malaysian counterpart on a new framework of the dialogue process.
The NCPO chief went on saying that secret talks with separatist groups were still continuing by officials of the forward command of Internal Security Operations Command and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre.
An informed source said that the Thai side did not mind whether the Malaysian facilitator would still be Datuk Seri Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim or anybody else and this would depend on the Malaysian government to choose.
It was reported that some Thai security units would like the facilitator to be a military officer but this issue was not raised by the Thai special working team during its discussion with Malaysia.
Peace dialogue with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional and some splinter separatist groups was suspended late last year as Thailand was embroiled in a political crisis when anti-government protesters took to the streets in a marathon protest to oust the government.
Informed sources said that peade talks would resume only when a new government has taken office in Thailand. Also, the NCPO has made known to Kuala Lumpur and separatist groups that the former Thai negotiating team led by Lt-Gen Paradorn Pattanathabutr, former secretary-general of National Security Council, would be entirely replaced.
As clearly stated by General Prayuth, the modality of the peace dialogue would be changed to encompass all the problems in the restive region which include injustice, legal problem, security problem and violence.
A new structure of the negotiation and support teams has already been approved by the NCPO. The structure envisages the setting up of four teams in support of the dialogue process namely a team in charge of legal affairs, a team on political affairs, a team in charge of campaign to encourage separatist gangs to resort to peaceful means in their struggle and the negotiating team.
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Caption : Petronas Twin Towers, the symbol of Malaysia
Photo by : Pakorn Puengnetr