Prawit dismisses rumours on South peace talks
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Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also defence minister, yesterday dismissed reports that the new chief negotiator in the South peace dialogue had held an unauthorised meeting with the former chief of Malaysia's intelligence service.
He also dismissed rumours of Thailand proposing a ceasefire with insurgents in the far South before the next round of peace talks begins.
The peace talks have been on hold for a while because of the political turmoil that led to the May 22 coup.
“Thai authorities are not vying for a truce. We only want to talk about peace, and aim to offer security and jobs to good people. Whom are we going to fight with? They have no armed forces. It’s all a misunderstanding between the two sides. We only want to talk to create an understanding,” he said.
Prawit said the authorities would invite all insurgent groups to come forward and take part in the dialogue.
As for whether Hassan Taib would continue representing Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), Prawit said he did not know or have any idea who the new person would be.
