BRN demands need studying

BRN demands need studying

The effort to restart the formal contacts between the government and Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) continues. It is a rather cringe-worthy back and forth, reflecting the obvious failure of the two parties to communicate over the past seven months. The BRN has tried artlessly to back away from its promise never to negotiate again until the Thai team gives in to its mostly unacceptable "demands" of April. Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut and his team have tried to gloss over the obvious failure of negotiations with many weeks of public promises that progress lies just ahead.

With the two sides talking past each other while trying to shore up their own propaganda claims, an important third party has now looked in. The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), probably the most influential group involved in fighting in the deep South, has criticised the Thai side and effectively supported the BRN's recent claims. The Isoc has written to Lt Gen Paradorn and urged him to answer the five demands of the BRN. These demands have crept near the centre of the attempts of Thailand and the Malaysian negotiators to resume talks.

The demands came to epitomise the BRN's attitude towards both Thailand and Lt Gen Paradorn's peace talks team. They were made last May, on the eve of a peace talks session. No notice was given to the Thai side when BRN negotiator Hassan Taib issued the demands in a YouTube video appearance. From the moment they were made, Mr Hassan and his team have insisted there is no room for negotiation. Thailand must accept all five demands as the condition for more talks. To say the least, these are unusual methods to introduce topics to a process supposedly devoted to negotiating an end to violence.

Each demand is a separate subject. The first calls on Thailand to recognise Malaysia as a mediator rather than a facilitator of the talks, as agreed in March. The second says the people of the South are "Melayu Pattani", as opposed to Thai. The third calls for numerous government, non-government and religious groups to attend the negotiating sessions, and the fourth point calls for the release of all those arrested or wanted on security grounds.

Point five states that, "The BRN's status must be recognised as a Pattani liberation movement, not a separatist group". From this, there are cascading problems. In short, however, the big problem is that the BRN is, in fact, a separatist group. As Mr Hassan said in a Sept 2 interview on Media Selatan radio in the South, the object of peace negotiations is to achieve the right of self-determination for the region. Legally, however, a vote to separate is no more acceptable under the constitution than a vote for autonomy.

Lt Gen Paradorn's team said last month it received a 38-page "clarification" from the BRN about its five demands. So far, the Thai side has made no formal reply. Senior Isoc commanders have noted the BRN's sixth demand, that Bangkok must reply to the first five or there will be no further negotiating sessions.

As he approaches this Sunday's possible resumption of peace talks, Lt Gen Paradorn is correct to try to keep every avenue and every subject open to bargaining. It is obvious that the BRN is trying to pressure the Thai side into accepting questionable demands as a price for resuming the peace talks.

Much care must be given to the response. A wrong step by Lt Gen Paradorn's team could harm the country, the future of the South, the prospects for peace, or all three. Rushing into a response now would be a mistake.

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