NSC chief pays visit to deep South

NSC chief pays visit to deep South

Govt peace talks plan likely to stay, he says

National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Thawil Pliensri paid a visit to the deep South on Sunday, his first since being reinstated to the post, but in a surprising move unveiled no changes to the government's security policy.

Changes to the government's peace talks with separatist groups had been expected, as Mr Thawil had been a vocal critic of the policy before he lost his job in a contested job transfer in 2011.

Visiting Pattani, the NSC chief said the southern insurgency was one of his top security concerns.

He said the visit was to give moral support to local authorities, follow up on the situation and hear their problems.

However, he said there would be no change to the peace dialogue plan initiated by the Yingluck administration as it was in line with the agency's policy of promoting an environment conducive to peace building.

"The peace talks are part of the security policy for the three southernmost provinces," he said.

"There is no problem about that. We are trying to create a climate favourable to finding a peaceful solution."

He also said the three-year security policy for the deep South, which was being reviewed, was unlikely to change either.

He said he had discussed the policy with various authorities and received positive feedback.

All sectors must work with each other to implement the policy, he said.

Residents in the strife-torn region were a key factor if the peace process was to bear fruit.

"We can't let a single agency work alone. While the military focuses on security, other agencies will have to do their bit," he said.

"After this I will meet with others to discuss the southern situation."

Mr Thawil's delegation was received by Fourth Army Commander Lt Gen Walit Rojanaphakdi.

A change in security policy had been expected following his reinstatement last month by the order of the Supreme Administrative Court.

Mr Thawil, who was a vocal critic of the government's handling of the security in the deep South, had suggested he might take a new look at the government's approach to peace talks with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group.

Meanwhile, differences in opinions among residents in the deep South are a big obstacle to the peace process, a public forum was told.

Residents need to reach a consensus on what they wanted before a peace process could begin, the forum was told.

The people would have to ask themselves what they wanted and how they wanted the problems to be managed. The forum was organised by Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Pattani campus, and the College of Deep South Watch in Pattani's Yarang district.

When the consensus was built, they would move on to a process to tackle the problems, the audience was told.

Participants included Kusuma Kooyai, assistant dean of the faculty of communication sciences, PSU, Pattani Campus, and Norbert Ropers, senior researcher at the Centre for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity, PSU, Pattani campus.

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