Mara Patani wants peace talks to be treated as a national agenda
The alliance of southern separatist groups known as the Mara Patani told the Thai and Malaysian media in Kuala Lumpur on August 27 that they wanted the government to make peace talks a national agenda and that they were the negotiating party to bring about peace in southern provinces.
Seven representatives of Mara Patani met with 14 Thai and four Malaysian journalists for a two-hour press conference at Primera hotel in KL. Earlier on August 25, they met with representatives of the Thai government led by General Aksara Kerdphol, the army’s chief advisor, also in KL, with Malaysia acting as the facilitator.
General Aksara did not give any information about the discussion with Mara Patani saying briefly that he would give a press conference after the media’s meeting with the alliance of separatist groups.
However, a well-informed source told Isara news agency that General Aksara’s team proposed that safe zones be created in the Deep South and that Mara Patani should consider selecting the zones.
The seven Mara Patani representatives included Arwang Yaba from BRN and president of the alliance; Sukree Hari from BRN, chief of the negotiating team; Dr Arif Mukta from Pulo MKT; Abu Yazin Arbus from GMIP; Haji Mahmud Zuwo from BRN; Arbu Hafis al Hakim from BIPP and Arbu Akram bin Hazan from Pulo.
The alliance told the media that all separatist groups had wanted independence but, anyway, this would depend on negotiations with the Thai government. They said the preliminary talks with the government’s representatives were in the stage of trust building.
They said they made three proposals to the government representatives. These included: peace talks should be treated as a national agenda; Mara Patani be recognized as the legitimate negotiating party with the government; and the 15 members of the alliance be accorded with legal protection.
It was explained by the alliance that Mr Zamzudin Khan of Pulo P4’s absence from the informal talks with General Aksara’s team was just a misunderstanding and this problem had already been settled and Pulo P4 is still in Mara Patani.
The group said that they were willing to meet with religious leaders, community leaders and representatives of the NGOs outside the Deep South because they are not able to do so in the region.
Asked how they think about the government’s sincerity in pursuing the peace talks, the alliance said that this would be proven by the response from the government to their three proposals which are yet to be made.
The group said that violence in the southernmost provinces still persists because there is no ceasefire yet. But they warned that violence would escalate if the Thai side is not sincere about the peace talks.
The group also insisted that they have no policy of attacking the so-called soft targets but admitted that the soft targets were sometimes killed or hurted by stray fires or because they were caught in cross fires.