Nine of 15 delegate members attend dialogue

The delegation of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Coordinate (BRN), representing the insurgents, had also shrunk to just five, including Hassan Taib, chief of the BRN liaison office in Malaysia.
Details of the discussion were kept confidential, pending a statement from both sides.
The nine Thais included National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanathabutr and South Border Provinces Administrative Centre director Tawee Sondsong, as well as former members of the police, the Army and civilians. No explanations were given as to why the team had shrunk.
After arriving on Wednesday, the delegates held a meeting to work out what issues would be on the agenda. Paradorn said a late change in conditions for the number of attendees meant each side would include the same number of people at the talks, but did not say yesterday how many were present.
Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday responded to reports that insurgents had demanded the withdrawal of troops from the far South as a precondition for ending their armed struggle, saying such a move was possible. Paradorn has since denied that any such precondition was ever proposed, while Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung has blamed the media.
Prayuth said a bomb attack yesterday in Narathiwat, which killed three soldiers, was not connected to the peace dialogue. The next round of talks will take place in Indonesia next month, a source said.