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| Southeast Asia |
| Coup leader agrees to talks with Thai rebels |
| 2006-10-05 |
| The Thai Army chief who staged the coup last month said Thursday that he had agreed to hold the first talks with Muslim rebels since an insurgency erupted in 2004, in an abrupt policy change from the administration of the deposed prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who led the bloodless coup against Thaksin on Sept. 19, said officials from certain rebel factions had contacted a top army commander and requested talks. "I have agreed to the talks," Sonthi said. "I stress that these will be One rebel leader, meanwhile, urged the authorities to investigate Thaksin for crimes against humanity, saying the deposed leader should be tried at the International Court of Justice for alleged murders and disappearances of suspected insurgents. "Thaksin Shinawatra's hands are full of blood," said an exiled Muslim rebel leader, Lukman Lima, head of the Pattani United Liberation Organization, one of several groups fighting for a separate Muslim state in southern Thailand. In an e-mailed message from Sweden, Lukman said Thailand's incoming interim government would not be able to fully solve the divisions in the south unless they "bring Thaksin and some of his generals" to the court of justice in the Hague. Thaksin's government, which came under harsh criticism for its strong-arm approach to the violence, had repeatedly declined to hold any talks with Muslim insurgents - a decision that had put him at odds with Sonthi, who had urged a peaceful approach. Thaksin was widely detested in Thailand's three Muslim-majority provinces where violence flared in January 2004. He deployed thousands of troops to the region, and shifted commanders and tactics many times. He ordered manhunts for militants and imposed draconian laws. Many The government's heavy-handed response also bred discontent in the army, which was one of the factors driving the military coup. Less than three weeks before the coup, Sonthi had proposed talks with insurgents, but Thaksin's government rejected the idea. "They see that only talks can end the violence Sonthi's coup was welcomed by many Thais, who saw it as a good chance to resolve the Muslim insurgency that has killed more than 1,700 people. Sonthi, one of the few Muslims to rise to such a prominent position in Thailand, has been seen as a potential |
| Posted by:ryuge |