2nd-round NSC, insurgent talks set on April 29

BANGKOK, April 3 (TNA) - The new round of peace negotiation between the Thai government, through the National Security Council (NSC), and representatives of insurgent groups in the Thai far South, the second of its kind, has been set on April 29, 2013. NSC Secretary-General Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabutr confirmed on Wednesday that he will lead a Thai delegation to have another peace talks with the insurgent representatives, including those of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), on April 29, after their first-round talks on March 28. Lieutenant General Paradorn acknowledged that government officers remain at risks in the troubled Thai deep South as long as security problems remain there, denying, however, that the recent abduction and murder of Marine Private Ma-ali Tohlu in Bacho District of Narathiwat province have dealt a blow to the Thai government pending its negotiatings with the insurgent representatives. Lieutenant General Paradorn admitted that there are hard-core insurgents who disagree with the ongoing peace process and, as the peace negotiations have just started, the BRN will have to convince them to cooperate. The NSC chief said he believes that violent incidents in the Thai deep South will drop when insurgents trust the Thai government, pointing out that some insurgents have started to give useful information to government authorities. The NSC secretary-general insisted that the Thai government will neither adjust its strategies in the southernmost Thai region nor reduce the number of security officers in the troubled region, but more border patrol police and soldiers will be deployed there. The NSC chief confirmed that peace negotiations will continue and they are believed to help solve the southern woes, noting that in the next round of peace talks with the insurgent groups, his NSC negotiation team will comprise of nine representatives, including those from the civic sector. Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung assessed that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's decision earlier in the day to dissolve the Malaysian Parliament should not affect the peace negotiations between the NSC and the southern insurgents, mediated by Malaysia. (TNA)