The Fourth Army has opened communication with several southern insurgents, including some living overseas, ahead of peace talks which it intends to restart with Malaysia as host.
Fourth Army commander Lt Gen Prakan Cholayuth, second right, visits officers injured in deep South security operations who are being treated in Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok. Pholsak Chanphum, 47, right, a legal officer attached to Yala Prison, is being treated for a gunshot wound sustained during a drug suppression operation in Sai Buri district of Pattani on June 9. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Fourth Army commander Lt Gen Prakan Cholayuth, who heads the Area-based Inter-agency Coordination Working Group, said Thai authorities have been in contact with tens of insurgents through their relatives and families. The objective is to persuade them to step out and voice their demands.
He said the approach is in line with the government's policy that seeks to encourage people holding views and ideologies different from the state to speak up.
According to Lt Gen Prakan, while the framework of the peace dialogue with southern insurgents will have to be decided by the government, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command has organised a series of public forums on the issue of southern violence.
He said the findings from 40 forums have been processed and forwarded to the Isoc to make sure the government is aware of the views of local people.
The findings will go into developing policy for the deep South, he said.
According to Lt Gen Prakan, the Fourth Army hopes to reach out to residents to reduce violence in the restive region while the government forges ahead with the peace dialogue.
He said the authorities have confidence in the public participation strategy in which the civic sector is mobilised to promote peace-building.
The strategy focuses on unified operations between local people, volunteers and security forces to protect communities and public property from violent acts. Lt Gen Prakan said once the communities are secure, secure development will follow.
The major task of promoting development is supervised by a committee on the South chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon. The committee comes under the direct supervision of the prime minister.
There are three committees — the other two headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the army's chief adviser Gen Aksara Kerdpol — working on peaceful ways to resolve the conflict in the three southernmost provinces through negotiations with insurgent groups.
The Fourth Army commander's remarks came as he paid a visit to security officers injured in operations in the deep South who are being treated in Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok. He also handed out cash and lunches to the injured.
Lt Gen Prakan said he has been assigned by Army Commander Gen Udomdej Sitabutr to extend moral support to security authorities for their devotion and contributions to the country.
Commenting on the peace-keeping operations, he said the situation has shown signs of improving, especially after the deployment of armed civic defence volunteers to assist security forces in providing protection to teachers.
He also praised the armed defence volunteers for their role in helping avert a plan to launch attacks against a group of army engineers, which the insurgents hoped to mount after letting off bombs as a decoy. He said the engineers deployed to build roads in 37 districts across the South will be more safe.
Lt Gen Prakan defended the decision to arm the volunteers, saying it was important to build community cooperation.
"We don't train the people to fight. They are trained so that they can defend their community," he said.