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Thai government, rebels blame each other for delay
 [Bangkok Post] Thailand's military government and the main southern separatist faction traded blame for delay in setting up a "safety zone" as a confidence-building measure. Negotiations on the zone ended last week in Malaysia without full agreement.On Monday, the Mara Patani faction said that bringing about a safety zone had been "a little delayed", because some details, "especially from the Thai side", had not been adequately addressed, but that did not mean talks had failed. Abu Hafez Al-Hakim said in a statement, "The correct approach is to continue dialogue, not walking away from it." During the weekend, Thailand's lead negotiator had said the rebels were not ready for the safety zone, despite the sincerity of the government. General Aksara Kerdphol said, "If the dissidents are not ready, then people's participation in the process will be delayed, adding that talks would continue. The intended safety zone would be jointly administered by Thai authorities and the separatists in a district of the three southernmost provinces. Within the zone, neither side would attack the other. "If you want to create peace you have to work with your enemy," Al-Hakim said, saying he was hopeful the zone could be set up within three to six months. But the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group, which has more control over combatants than other factions, has not joined talks. A leader of the group said last week that the ongoing negotiations were doomed. Pak Fakih said in a rare interview that safety zones could be "a trick by the military in trying to uncover the insurgent networks". The leader of another rebel group, Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), also said he was uneasy about the government's safety zone plan, but would go along with it in the spirit of cooperation. Kasturi Mahkota said violence would continue for now as the only way to get the government to listen.
Posted by: ryuge 2017-09-20 |
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