The flare-up of violent attacks in the deep South over past weeks has not shaken the confidence of Gen Udomchai Thammasaroraj as he attempts to end the insurgency at the negotiating table.
The former 4th army chief, who was appointed last October to lead the Thai negotiating team in a peace dialogue with Mara Patani, an umbrella body of militant groups, said he is "ready to talk with anybody" who plays a key role in the separatist movement.
His comment came as Barisan Revolusi Nasional, one of the major insurgent groups in Mara Patani, appointed a new leader and is believed to be behind a spate of attacks as a result of the change.
Sama-ae Kho Zari, a 60-year-old secretary-general of the BRN, succeeded the previous leader Dulloh Waemanor.
His rise to power late last year has been linked with a new round of unrest, largely subdued during earlier peace talks, initiated nearly six years ago.
The recent incidents cast doubts over whether Mr Sama-ae wants to continue the negotiations, which are facilitated by Malaysian authorities.
"There are many factors" to think about to assess the BRN under the new leadership, Gen Udomchai said, but it is too soon to say if the group will walk off the peaceful track.
He said it seems that Mr Dulloh -- whom Gen Udomchai has spoken with before -- is "willing" to go ahead with the peace dialogue. According to an intelligence report, there was earlier a sign that the BRN, believed to be highly active in attacks in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, wanted to soften its hardcore stance.
However, when Kuala Lumpur approached Mr Dulloh, inviting him to sit at the negotiating table, some changes occurred in the BRN.
Mr Dulloh twice missed appointments to talk to Thai authorities and the BRN selected its new leader.
"I think the BRN made some adjustments to make sure it would deal with the situation correctly," Gen Udomchai said.
However, with his experience in solving the southern unrest, Gen Udomchai said he still believes negotiations are still a way out of conflict in the Muslim-dominated southernmost provinces.
It is not really possible to believe the BRN could separate that part of the region as long as a majority of people want to be part of Thailand, Gen Udomchai said.
The 66-year-old veteran soldier has been familiar with separatist issues since the beginning of his military career. "I've been working in the South for all my life," he said.
Gen Udomchai was attached with the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 15th Infantry Regiment since his graduation from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy some 40 years ago.
Its headquarters is based in Nakhon Si Thammarat, but "we, as troops, had outposts in the southern borders," an area which took him close to the conflict between the government and the separatist movement.
It came as no surprise last year to see him gain the trust of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who appointed him to resume peace negotiation efforts pushed by his predecessor Gen Aksara Kerdpol four years ago.
"Gen Prayut directly asked me to do the job," Gen Udomchai said.
He is willing to take a new challenge. In fact, it is not much different from his earlier role as a member of the government special delegation to cope with the southern unrest.
Among the first things he will introduce to the peace dialogue is his unique style of negotiations which he described as a "quiet talk". "I like an informal talk rather than sitting at negotiating table under the media spotlight," Gen Udomchai said.
Gen Udomchai believes an informal but friendly atmosphere will be conducive to a successful outcome. A key strategy behind the negotiations, in his view, is listening. Thai authorities must first pay heed to what Mara Patani representatives want and take part in joint activities to show sincerity.
"Then, we don't need to talk further at the negotiating table but only say 'I agree' to culminate it."
Gen Udomchai has no idea who he will be talking to the next round of talks -- Mr Dulloh, the former BRN leader, or Mr Sama-ae, the current BRN leader.
"But I believe Mr Dulloh still plays an important role in the BRN," he said.
