The government Wednesday outlined steps it will take to attempt to bring peace to the southern border provinces, all of which hinge of insurgents laying down their guns.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that today's National Security Council meeting was the first to officially address the peace talks planned between the military, Muslim insurgents and officials from Malaysia, acting as facilitators.
He stressed the necessity of holding talks, saying the process must be acknowledged by other countries as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in order for them to understand that the government does not have a policy to use force for suppression, but to enforce the law against those who resort to violence and hurt innocent people.
The NSC agreed that the peace talks will be handled by three working committees. The first committee, chaired by the prime minister, with the NSC secretary-general as its secretary, will be responsible for meting out policies.
The second panel will be responsible for holding peace talks and be led by Gen Aksara Kerdpol, an army specialist. The third committee, led by the 4th Army commander, will be responsible for operations in areas under the jurisdiction of the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command.
Gen Prayut said the first stage of the peace talks process is to create an atmosphere of trust between the two sides. Malaysia is to coordinate with various groups of insurgents who should not be mentioned by name.
He said the insurgents should come together as a unified team of representatives of various groups. The talks should initially be intended for the insurgents to stop or reduce violence, which is usually used by them to apply pressure on the government to get a bargaining power, he said.
The second stage is for both sides to sign an agreement to end violence and find a way out together through peaceful means. Both sides will together draw up a road map for peace.
The third stage is for the implementation of the road map, which will involve measures to end violence and cope with various demands through enforcement of law and judicial processes. Measures must be taken to reduce social disparities. Local identities, culture and traditions must be taken for consideration in the implementation of the road map for peace.
Gen Prayut said if there is no violence the government will withdraw troops who are brought from other regions, leaving in the South only local soldiers, police and volunteers.
He admitted that it would be long to go through all three stages of the peace process.
The prime minister said he had instructed the 4th Army commander not to do anything to counter demands that may be raised by insurgent groups in social media, but to pass them the negotiation team to study. Exchanges via the social media would only give the insurgents room to gain publicity, he added.