Representatives of Buddhists in the restive South arrived in Bangkok yesterday after walking more than 1,000 kilometres from Pattani to highlight their plight and petition Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to stop the separatist violence.
Wissanu Rathanahiran, 42, and Pramote Pengchan, 30, two Pattani residents representing the Network of Buddhists for Peace, began their 1,200km walk from Sai Buri district on Aug 5 and arrived at Government House yesterday morning to hand their petition to the prime minister.
"I want the prime minister to resolve the problem in the South as a large number of innocent people have died due to the violence. People are afraid of going out to work or even for everyday activities," Mr Wissanu said.
Separatist insurgents have long been operating in the Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces but the violence flared in 2004. Soldiers and civilians, including teachers and monks, as well as Muslims deemed to have sided with the state have been targeted by insurgents. To date there have been more than 6,300 deaths.
Mr Wissanu and Mr Pramote handed their petition to Lt Gen Sakol Chuentrakul, an adviser to Gen Prayut, who said he would give it to the prime minister.
Mr Wissanu said the network was spurred into undertaking the long march after a bomb went off in Sai Buri district on July 25. The explosion killed one soldier, two monks and injured more than five civilians.
He said the long march was intended to call on the government to restore peace quickly.
"The South needs a peace settlement," Mr Wissanu said.
The government is currently engaged in talks with southern separatist groups with Malaysia acting as the host.
Mr Wissanu also called on Gen Prayut to address the daily attacks in the region, especially those targeting monks and Buddhists.
Violence continued in the deep South yesterday with one municipal employee gunned down in Pattani, Panare police reported.
The bullet-ridden body of 51-year-old Anan Fongnuan, a resident who worked for the municipality, was found lying in a pool of blood on a road in tambon Panare.
Police found more than 40 spent cartridges from M16 and AK102 assault rifles scattered at the scene. Mr Anan's belongings, including his .38 handgun and wallet, had been stolen.
A bomb disposal team was sent to the scene of the shooting but found no booby traps.
Meanwhile, Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) negotiator Abdul Karim Khalib appeared in a video clip released on YouTube yesterday.
In the six-minute clip, Mr Abdul Karim, who was a delegate at talks in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, said his group distrusts the current peace talk process which Thailand is exploring with the Mara Patani -- an umbrella organisation representing five other southern militant groups. The BRN has not endorsed the current talks.
"We [the BRN] distrust the peace process because Thailand has no sincerity and has not responded to the demands we had earlier requested," he said in the clip.