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Thai talk with terrorists declared a success

A meeting between the Fourth Army region chief and 80 ~~terrorists~~ separatists in Narathiwat was considered a great success, Army commander General Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday. The talk between Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat and members of the RKK group was the result of coordination on both sides that had worked for sometime until the ~~terrorists~~ separatists began to trust the officials.

Prayuth said, "The talk had been prepared for a period of time but we could not reveal it to the public. The coordination was done through their families and society. The Army has always opened doors for them. What we want now is for them to surrender to the authorities while the punishment [they face] will be considered later but will be in line with the law."

He believed the RKK members decided to start talking with the Army because they had been horrified by the violence. They disagreed with the tactics, so they decided to surrender to the authorities while the group used all means to prevent them from doing that.

The Army chief confirmed the 80 were the real RKK members, saying checks were done and the results confirmed their status.