Informal talks between government and Mara Patani
Informal peace talks between the government and six Muslim groups known as the Mara Patani have been held since March this year in Malaysia with the help of Malaysian government as the facilitator.
Maj-Gen Nakrob Boonbuathong, deputy director of coordinating centre of the Internal Security Operations Command, told a press conference on June 26 at the army headquarter that two rounds of informal talks were held with the six groups in March and April.
He said that the talks would be held in three stages: the first which is about trust building; the second entails the signing of a ratification declaring the intention of both sides to resolve the unrest problem and the third concerns the roadmap for peace process. He expected the process would enter the second stage early next year.
The six groups which have engaged in informal peace talks with the government include the BRN, the BIPP, the GMIP and three factions of PULO. But Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has made clear that all groups, not just the six as above mentioned, are welcomed to join the talks, said Maj-Gen Nakrob.
He dismissed as untrue a press report that some sort of ceasefire had been agreed between the government and the six groups during the month of Ramadan. But he admitted that it was agreed that the people in the Deep South should be able to perform religious activities during the fasting month.
Maj-Gen Nakrob said that, besides the peace talks with the six groups, a working committee headed by Lt-Gen Prakarn Cholayuth, commander of the Fourth Army Region, had been talking with civic groups and the people’s sector to build up mutual trust which will be conducive to peace talk process.
It was reliably reported that General Aksara Kerdphol, the army’s chief advisor, was in Malaysia before the month of Ramadan to have informal talks with core members of Mara Patani led by Masukree Hari who claimed to be a core member of the BRN.
An informed source said that General Aksara had proposed a ceasefire during the Ramadan but Mara Patani declined the proposal claiming that they were unprepared for the ceasefire yet.