Next round of BRN talks postponed

The NSC had also asked the BRN to reveal the identities of insurgent groups it said were opposed to the peace process and used violence as a reaction against it, said Colonel Jaroon Ampha. 

A decision will be made after October 25, the ninth anniversary of the Tak Bai incident, when terror attacks are expected, regardless of whether they are carried out by the BRN or other insurgent groups, he said.

Thai authorities and security agencies will decide after October 25 whether the fourth round of talks should be held. “Violence would indicate that the BRN is not the real player,” he added.

Regarding the Thai response to the BRN’s five preconditions, Jaroon said some progress had been made, and a key meeting of a new coordination committee led by Deputy PM Pracha Promnog, would be called soon.

Meanwhile, operational centres under Interior Ministry at the district level will be set up throughout the deep South to ensure more effective implementation of relevant projects. This is part of the overall development and security schemes to tackle violence in the region, a military spokesman said.

The centres will be chaired by district chiefs, who will coordinate with local administrative bodies and communities to integrate all relevant projects. The Internal Security Operations Command’s forward centre in Pattani has set up a panel to coordinate with provincial offices representing all 17 relevant ministries, Colonel Banphot Phoolphian said at a monthly Isoc press conference held yesterday.

At the event, the National Buddhism Office said the monthly subsidy of Bt2,500 for each monk would still be available for the next two years to those who could not perform the morning alms-walk duty because of violence. Families of monks killed in violence would each receive Bt100,000, or Bt50,000 in case of injuries.