The Thai government has appointed the chairman of the army's advisory panel to head renewed peace talks with insurgents in the country's far South, a deputy prime minister confirmed Friday.Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the appointment of Gen. Aksara Kerdpol is awaiting an official order from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. The government is working on solutions to violence in the far South and is determined to make headway, Prawit, who is also the defense minister, said.
The Prayut government has set out to resume peace talks with southern insurgents, with Malaysia continuing to act as the facilitator. A ten-member team has been formed to continue the stalled negotiations which will include all groups involved in the long-standing insurgency, army chief Udomdej Sitabutr said earlier.
According to Udomdej, the National Security Council is currently working with Malaysian authorities on the framework of the negotiation, but the date has not yet been set.