The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s plan to resume peace talks in the deep South is facing its first hurdle after separatist groups voiced opposition to the man tipped to head the delegation.
The groups also asked the NCPO to refrain from setting preconditions for the talks, which have been suspended for more than a year since the last round of negotiations in Malaysia.
Gen Akanit: Government negotiator an unpopular choice with the separatists.
Gen Akanit Muansawat, a member of the National Legislative Council and adviser to the National Security Council (NSC), who is close to NCPO chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, is tipped to head the delegation.
"If the peace process is to proceed smoothly, we must learn from past mistakes," said the spokesman for the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The selection of the team's head and its composition is as important as the process itself."
He said Gen Akanit was known to oppose the talks and had publicly expressed views against the process about a year ago.
The general was also said to have voiced his disagreement with Malaysia's role as facilitator in the talks, according to the spokesman.
"He [Gen Akanit] has an arrogant attitude and referred to Patani Freedom Fighters as jone khaek [Muslim bandits] at a recent closed-door forum in Bangkok," he said.
The BRN spokesman said the fact that Gen Akanit was a close friend of Gen Prayuth and was involved in a failed peace initiative during the Abhisit Vejjajiva government did not make him the preferred choice to lead the Thai team.
"If Gen Akanit thinks he can finish the job as quickly and completely as the talks between Malaysia and the Communist Party of Malaya in Hat Yai over two decades ago, he is wrong," the spokesman said.
"The issue is irrelevant to the Pattani conflict."
Gen Akanit was reportedly involved in mediating peace talks between Malaysia and the CPM, which ended with the latter agreeing to give up armed struggles against Kuala Lumpur in 1989.
The spokesman said he was worried the new start to the talks between separatists and the government would not be as smooth and the process could be threatened early on if Gen Akanit heads the talks delegation.
"We are sure there is no shortage of fine, learned, reasonable, trustworthy and responsible people in Thailand who could do a better job than Gen Akanit. The prolonged nature of this process requires a person acceptable to the current temporary government and the administration that will come after the election," he said.
Gen Akanit declined to comment on the BRN's stance, saying he did not see the benefit in responding through the media.
"I don't value such comments or statements. They are outdated. Peace talks failed before because they were undertaken and presented before the media," Gen Akanit said.
Asked if he has already been appointed as chief negotiator for the new round of talks, Gen Akanit said the NCPO has endorsed its plan of action for the talks and would soon be delegating jobs to suitable people.
The BRN delegation wanted the talks to be adopted as a national agenda item to ensure their continuity, he said.
The spokesman insisted the PFF was committed to the peace process and saw it as a possible option for a just, sustainable and comprehensive solution to the conflict.
"We could start from where we stopped before or start fresh talks. Either way, this time around it is preferable for all parties to come to the table without preconditions, pressure or intimidation. All parties should come willingly. This is to ensure the process will be conducted and proceed according to international standards," he said.
Members of the separatist delegation to the Malaysia-brokered talks with the NSC, which included BRN, Pattani United Liberation Organisation and Islamic Liberation Front of Patani, have discussed the situation and the prospect of peace talks.
A new negotiation team would not be formed until there was official communication from the Thai side through the Malaysian facilitator, he said.
The spokesman said he understood that Malaysia and Thailand have been in contact to fix the talks' schedule and conditions for resuming the peace process.
However, hearing about the development through the media rather than an official source has made the situation more confusing, he said.
The NSC's outgoing chief Thawil Pliensri is set to travel to Malaysia tomorrow to discuss the talks and bid farewell to his counterparts there, sources said.