Malaysia-Thai GBC Meeting Will Also Discuss Conflict In Southern Thailand - Thai DPM

By Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa BANGKOK, Nov 9 (Bernama) -- The conflict in southern Thailand will be among the issues to be discussed by Malaysia and Thailand during their 53rd General Border Committee (GBC) meeting starting Wednesday. This was confirmed by Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, who will lead the Thai delegation to the two-day meeting in Kuala Lumpur. "Yes, it will be discussed (the conflictin southern Thailan)," he told the media after attending the weekly cabinet meeting at Government House here, Tuesday. Malaysia has been playing a role as the facilitator in unofficial talks between Bangkok and militant groups in southern Thailan, in an effort to end years of conflict in the Muslim-majority southern provinces. According to Prawit, who is also in charge of national security, the GBC meeting will discuss other security issues, namely on transnational crimes and military-to-military cooperation. He said National Police Chief Gen Chaktip Chaijinda will also accompany him to the bilateral meeting. Besides the security issues, the GBC meeting in Kuala Lumpur, deputy prime minister said, will also seek to extend cooperation between the two countries in people-to-people connectivity, logistics, tourism and commerce. "We will also discuss cooperation in other areas," he said. Earlier, Defence Ministry spokesman Maj Gen Kongcheep Tantrawich had said the two-day meeting will strengthen security cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand. "The meeting is to strengthen bilateral cooperation in security matters for sustainable development in the areas along the border of Malaysia and Thailand," he said in a statement. The annual GBC meeting is jointly chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries. The 52nd Malaysia-Thailand GBC meeting was held in Bangkok in January last year. --BERNAMA