The government's chief negotiator in southern peace talks expressed confidence on Friday that the first meeting with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN) insurgent group would set the stage for further discussions to bring peace to the restive region.
Gen Wanlop Rugsanaoh, head of Thailand's Peace Dialogue Panel, said even though the dialogue only involved the BRN, it was a promising step and indicated a strong determination to resolve conflicts and restore peace in the deep South.
The meeting took place on Jan 20 in Kuala Lumpur and was facilitated by Abdul Rahim Bin Mohd Noor of the Malaysian government.
The Thai delegation comprised officials from the Justice Ministry, the National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry, the National Intelligence Agency, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), and Isoc Region 4. The BRN delegation was led by Anas Abdulrahman, who is said to be a former teacher at a religious school in Yala.
Gen Wanlop played down criticism that talks without the participation of Mara Patani, an umbrella organisation of various separatist movements, was a step back to square one.
He said the BRN is considered to be an influential group in the restive southernmost provinces and it was also once part of Mara Patani. According to Gen Wanlop, the BRN has experienced changes with younger people now playing a more active role.
Mara Patani was formed by five insurgent organisations in the South -- Pulo-MKP, BIMP, BRN, BIPP and Pulo-DSPP.
Gen Wanlop said the Thai delegation did not question the credibility of the BRN delegation when asked if the delegates represented the rebel group.
Asked if local politicians would be invited in the process, he said input from politicians and the civic sector was welcomed. He also said other insurgent groups were also welcome to join the dialogue as it moved forward.
"We advocate a participatory process and welcome input from all sides. The peace process may experience hiccups. However, we want the process to be maintained, so we need the cooperation of every stakeholder," he said.
He admitted that independent observers joined the Jan 20 meeting as proposed by the BRN and agreed by the Thai side. Gen Wanlop declined to discuss additional details about the observers.
The dialogue format was proposed and accepted prior to the Jan 20 meeting which served as an opportunity for both sides to meet face-to-face to get know each other and develop trust.
The next round of talks is tentatively scheduled in early March.
Gen Wanlop is a former NSC secretary-general who was appointed to head the new peace process after the general election last year. He is the fourth leader of the government's peace dialogue team in the past seven years.
The peace talks were initiated in 2013 during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration. However, no significant progress was made until Gen Aksara Kerdpol, a former army chief-of-staff, was made the new team chief in 2014 after the coup.