Peace talks head to be named after Prayut meets Najib
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday he would name the chief of the negotiating team for peace talks to try to end violence in the far South after he meets his counterpart Najib Razak in Malaysia.
However, the PM did not say when that visit would occur. The peace dialogue with insurgent groups from the South has been suspended for months while violence continues on an almost daily basis.
The latest attacks saw six schools in Pattani province burnt down over the weekend.
Prayut referred to the Thung Yang Daeng Model, which refers to a plan to equip each school in the far South with security devices such as alarms to alert authorities when an attack takes place. Thung Yang Daeng was the district where the six schools were set ablaze.
Members of the public will also asked to join the scheme to safeguard schools.
The model should be fine-tuned and reintroduced to the south, he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan insisted the negotiating head would be General Aksara Kerdpon, the Army’s advisory chief, and not Thawil Pliensri, a former secretary-general of the National Security Council.
There were widespread rumours that Thawil would be chosen to lead the talks.
“I appointed him (Thawil) as my personal adviser. The chief of the negotiation team will be General Aksara,” Prawit said.
The Thung Yang Daeng Model would be applied to all areas in the three southern border provinces, he said.
Public participation in ending the unrest will help hasten sustainable peace and prosperity.
Despite the Pattani arson attacks, no additional deployment of security personnel would be made. The government just wants the public to join the campaign.
