Views from different people in the Deep South on southern peace talks
In wake of the issuance of a 4-page statement by the information department of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional on October 12 regarding the preliminary peace talks between the government and Mara Patani and a subsequent statement from the spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command on the following day,
The Isranews decided to send a team of reporters to gauge the views of different groups of people and individuals in the restive region regarding these latest developments.
The followings are extracts from the interviews:
Mr Bueraheng (surname withheld) who claimed to be an ex-BRN operative said the BRN statement was nothing new. Peace has been an issue which talked about all along in the past several years, especially on the negotiating table, he added.
The former BRN operative went on saying that the people in the Deep South had called for sincerity in peace talks and a “go between” who is really neutral.
However, he welcomed the BRN’s latest statement and suggested that the government should not treat the statement for granted.
Mr Isma-ae (surname withheld), a sympathizer of the separatist movement, noted that peace was defined differently between the BRN and the government and the BRN issued a statement to demonstrate its standpoint on this matter.
The government, said Isma-ae, should not brush aside the BRN statement because the ordinary people have been yearning for peace for a long time.
Mrs Menor Samae, a Pattani villager, told Isranews agency that all she had wanted was to see peace being restored with no more bombings, shootings and killings. For her, she didn’t matter which groups talked about peace.
Associate Professor Srisompob Chitpiromsri, director of Deep South Watch Centre, said the BRN latest statement was meant to reconfirm the group’s position but it also reflected the internal problem within the BRN that there were people in the group who thought differently regarding the preliminary peace talks between Mara Patani and the government.
However, Srisompob believes the statement will not affect the peace talks process.
An official of the umbrella organization of separatist groups known as Mara Patani, meanwhile, admitted that not all BRN factions were represented in the talks. He pointed out that opposition to the peace talks was not unusual as he pleaded with all parties in the peace talks to be patient and to try to build trust among them.
Mr Kariya (surname withheld), a resident of Pattani, said he felt the BRN statement was meant to discredit the government. Personally, he said the only thing he mattered most was to see peace being restored.
He pointed that the BRN had never accepted the allegations by the government that the group was held accountable for all the violent incidents perpetrated in the Deep South.
Colonel Isra Chanthakrayom, commander of the 41st ranger regiment, said he welcomed the public appearance of Mara Patani and suggested the organization to ask the other BRN factions to decide whether they agreed with the approaches of the grouping or not.
Regarding Mara Patani’s three-point demand, the colonel thought it would be acceptable by the government.
Mr Dalyal Abdulloh, head of a youth group called Dream South, said the peace talks were proceeding positively. He welcomed the government’s proposal for the creation of safety zones as a interesting.
Regarding Mara Patani’s three-point demand, he said the demand for legal protection of the peace negotiators was quite interesting but whether it would be accepted by the government remains to be seen.
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Captions :
1 Mara Patani
2 BRN's statement