PUBLISHED : 18 Jul 2023 at 04:00
A top general has said that efforts to restore peace in the deep South will not be affected as negotiators await direction from a new government.
Gen Wanlop Rugsanaoh, head of Thailand’s Peace Dialogue Panel, said yesterday that talks between the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu-Patani (BRN) and the Thai government will continue for sustainable peace in the southernmost provinces.
Gen Wanlop said he was waiting for the new government to take office, and he expressed confidence it would pick up where the caretaker government left off.
He added the caretaker government set a clear framework for solving the unrest in the southernmost provinces.
He said the Joint Comprehensive Plan towards Peace (JCPP) operation must continue to try and end the longstanding conflict and return peace to the region.
Gen Wanlop yesterday chaired a meeting of coordinating area committee members at the CS Pattani Hotel in central Pattani to discuss the progress of the peace dialogue.
The meeting also acknowledged hearings from representatives of eight civil society groups in three southernmost provinces and four districts of Songkhla.
Participants at the meeting included Fourth Army Region chief Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak, who is also director of Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) Region 4, the region army’s deputy commander Lt Gen Uthit Anantananon, and 5th Infantry Division chief Maj Gen Woradet Detraksa.
Lt Gen Santi said he also foresees no disruption to the peace dialogue with BRN, with Malaysia as the facilitator.
He said the coordinating area committee would push to ensure the talks align with the new government’s policy.
He said he did not think the new government’s direction on the issue would be very different from the current peace restoration policy.
“We can work with every party for peace to be restored in the area,” he said.