Joint panel to oversee safety zone plan

Joint panel to oversee safety zone plan

Govt hails early success in peace talks

Cho Airong district of Narathiwat has been chosen as the first, experimental 'safety zone' to test separatist intentions for peace in the deep South. (Photo via Narathiwat.go.th)
Cho Airong district of Narathiwat has been chosen as the first, experimental 'safety zone' to test separatist intentions for peace in the deep South. (Photo via Narathiwat.go.th)

A joint action committee will be set up to follow through measures to keep designated areas safe and free from violence after Narathiwat's Cho Airong district was declared as the first safe zone in the strife-torn deep South, according to Gen Aksara Kerdphol, chief of the government's peace talks delegation.

Gen Aksara did not go into details.

He said a proposal for Cho Airong to be designated as the first pilot safety zone was put forward by Mara Patani, an umbrella organisation of insurgent groups in the South.

Gen Aksara said the zone represents another step toward ending violence that erupted in the Muslim-dominated region in 2004.

Safety zones have been proposed for five districts in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces and Cho Airong is the first that has been declared as such, he said.

Mara Patani has chosen the district itself, which means the group is confident it can control its operational units there, Gen Aksara said. He also said Thai authorities and local communities are ready to work together tho help keep the designated area safe and free from violence.

"The government and security authorities are always prepared to ensure safety in all 37 districts in the three southern border provinces, but Mara Patanai has chosen Cho Airong as the first zone," Gen Aksara said.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had previously acknowledged the idea of setting safety zones, which means the government has accepted it, Gen Aksara said,

He added that army chief Chalermchai Sitthisad has now visited the South to oversee preparations for the zone.

Gen Aksara said the Thai side has also agreed with safety zones in the other four districts proposed by Mara Patani, but the government will wait until the group is ready to announce the names of the four districts itself first.

He also said Thailand had discussed the matter with Malaysia, which is hosting peace talks between Thailand and Mara Patani.

Gen Aksara said while the safety zone set up in one district is a small step, it is still progress. "We have held talks with people who hold different views, not those who agree with us. It is normal if we do not gain considerable progress," he said.

Talks have been held regularly in Malaysia as well as a "safe house" in Pattani to pave the way for safety zones and help oversee long-term solutions to the long-running insurgency in the Muslim-dominated region, Gen Aksara said.

He rejected criticism from the media that the Thai delegation was not negotiating with "real" influential insurgent groups in the region.

He confirmed the Thai delegation has worked with eight security agencies which monitor all the movements of insurgent groups.

The Thai delegation needs time to build the trust between the two sides gradually, he said.

Gen Aksara also said certain media outlets which often interviewed Mara Patani and presented news stories which caused confusion about the peace process.

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