Far South peace talks to be resumed through Thai-Malaysian NSCs

BANGKOK, September 12 (TNA) - Thailand and Malaysia have agreed that peace talks between Thai authorities and representatives of insurgent groups in the violence-plagued Thai deep South be resumed, with the National Security Councils (NSCs) of both countries be the only channel for communications until the peace negotiations are resumed. Thai NSC Secretary-General Thawil Pliensri told journalists on Thursday evening that the Thai government continued asking Malaysia to act as the “facilitator” of the peace talks, but, as a leader of the Thai delegation has not yet been appointed, both sides have agreed that the NSCs of the two countries be the only channel for communications until peace talks are resumed in order to prevent any confusion. Thawil said both sides have agreed with the ideas that will be then reported to their governments leaders who will meet in the near future. Thawil revealed that the issues were raised during his talks with his Malaysian counterpart Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab in Malaysia on September 10 on the possibility that the Malaysian government continues to assist the Thai administration in the peace process with representatives of the insurgent groups in the Thai far South, as proposed by Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also Chief of the Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). According to the Thai NSC chief, he also informed the Malaysian side that the Thai government and his new government insist on solving violence in the Thai deep South through peaceful means. The peace negotiations were held in Malaysia, the facilitator of the peace process, between the Thai NSC during the previous government of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra and representatives of the insurgent groups, led by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgency movement, aimed at finding solutions to the violence in the southernmost Thai region, mainly in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat Provinces, but the talks were later suspended due to political protests in Thailand from late 2013-mid 2014. More than 5,000 people have been killed, excluding a number of those wounded, in violent incidents in the Thai far South since January 2004. (TNA)