Role of provincial authorities in region to be discussed

In one, three elected governors would each run one of the three southernmost provinces. In the other, a single elected governor would run all three.
The models are among six proposed and studied through brainstorming events and seminars comprising local residents, clerics and officials based in the troubled region.
They are also of practical interest to National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanathabutr, chief negotiator representing Thai authorities, said Assistant Professor Srisompob Jitpiromsri, director of the Deep South Watch at Prince of Songkla University.
Paradorn said earlier that he would discuss with members of |the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Patani-Melayu-Koordinasi (BRN-Coordinate) five preconditions delivered in three YouTube video messages by Hassan Taib and a BRN leader.
Local residents have already expressed through the seminars disagreement with these ideas. Srisompob said families of the victims of violence did not accept a precondition about blanket pardons for those responsible for attacks on or murders of their relatives.
On attacks that are continuing despite BRN-Coordinate’s promise for a reduction in violence, Paradorn said: “We need to check on who [else] is still carrying out the attacks.” He said a request made by local Muslims for the insurgents to refrain from violence during the Islamic Ramadan period would be asked of the BRN members.
Feedback on the violence and the peace dialogue was also collected from Muslim clerics as an extra input of information gathered through the seminars, said Tawee Sondsong, director of Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre. Previous seminars had collected mainly concerns, opinions and complaints from Buddhist and Muslim residents.
He said the clerics’ comments on the subject were additionally useful and many did not agree with the five preconditions delivered by the BRN-Coordinate members, and wanted to hear further clarification from them.
Security officials apprehended 20 suspects in a raid yesterday |in Pattani province, for their alleged roles in a bomb attack |on a security patrol two hours |earlier. The blast wounded two Army paramilitary rangers, one |of whom, Lance Corporal Charnchote Phetkhong, later succumbed to wound trauma.
A home-made roadside bomb, made of 10 kilograms of explo-sives in a metal box, was planted by a road, said military ordi-|nance men. It was detonated |via two-way-radio frequen-|cies when the 12-man squad went near it.