The government will continue its policy of negotiating for peace in the deep South despite the recent Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu-Patani (BRN) announcement that it would suspend peace talks until a new administration is formed.
Maj Gen Pramote Prom-in, a deputy commander of the 5th Army and the deputy leader of a government team negotiating peace in the region, said on Friday that Thailand would nevertheless continue with the peace dialogue as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan Towards Peace (JCPP) agreed by all parties.
He said that the BRN had not informed the Malaysian facilitator of their decision despite previously agreeing that all such moves should be presented to the facilitator first. Thailand's negotiating team is still waiting for an update from the Malaysian facilitator, Maj Gen Pramote added.
The JCPP is scheduled to proceed from July to the end of 2024, following the recent meeting between Thailand's negotiating team and the BRN in February in Malaysia. Maj Gen Pramote said that the meeting had agreed to finalise the technical details by June. However, the move from the BRN might push back that time frame.
"The peace dialogue is included in the government's strategy to solve the conflict in the deep South. The plan still has to be executed regardless of who is leading the government," he said.
However, a roadside bomb went off in the Bannang Sata district of Yala on Friday, killing an army ranger and injuring three other ranger volunteers.
The bomb exploded on the Yala-Betong road in tambon Bannang Sata near Ban Taopoon School at around 10am when a patrol of army rangers and ranger volunteers walked past. The ranger killed in the blast was identified as Sgt Sommai Natsuebwong, while Natthaphol Upatha suffered a broken leg, Komin Sarathee sustained serious shrapnel wounds, and Porncharoen Yokphoonpholdee suffered head injuries.