Abhisit calls on govt to counter BRN's claims

The Democrat Party leader yesterday urged the government to issue a statement responding to the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN)’s accusation that Thailand breached the Ramadan ceasefire agreement.
 Abhisit Vejjajiva also urged the government to affirm its stance on using non-violence and treating the southern unrest as a domestic issue.
He said the government should talk with Malaysia, the peace-dialogue facilitator, about rules for both sides to follow to ensure they work together, instead of the current practice of working separately and competing for advantages.
He also urged the government to not just allow National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr or Deputy PM Pracha Promnok to answer questions separately.
Government deputy spokeswoman Sunisa Lertpakawat said Pracha and Paradorn were the correct people to provide news about the unrest as they were directly involved and had experitise in national security.
Abhisit said the government should tell the international community that Thailand did not use violence and had methods to investigate incidents of unrest. When the BRN made the accusations, it wanted to confuse outsiders and elevate the problem.
He suggested positive information could be spread through an appointed spokesman or press releases.
Abhisit said he was concerned about the government’s lack of sensitivity in solving the unrest, particularly its lack of protest against the declaration of Songkhla’s Sadao district as a violence zone. He said the government’s attitude should be firm and things should not be played down out of fear that people would criticise any dialogue attempt.
He said the dialogue, which has been going on for five months, was seemingly being used by the government to woo votes – and by the separatists to publicise the problem. Abhisit said Thailand must insist this was a domestic problem.
He said the authorities must wait for Ramadan to end before assessing incidents. In the meantime, the government should have a working team to coordinate with BRN to ensure both sides were on the same page.
Separately, in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district, Buddhist couple Chuay Dermmuak and Prapa Sa-nguanpan were shot dead and their eight-year-old son wounded at 1.20pm yesterday. Two men on a motorcycle opened fire on them before fleeing with the victims’ motorbike.
In another incident, police investigators found that 10 spent bullet cases collected from where another Thai couple were shot dead on July 21 in Rangae district came from the gun used in the separate murders of two Narathiwat teachers late last year. Police suspect the Thai couple’s shooting was in retaliation for the July 19 killing of suspect Masupian Mama in Joh I Rong district.
At 2.25am yesterday, Tambon Klong Maning Adminsitrative Organisation president’s driver, Hama Jehnawae, 45, was shot dead in Pattani’s Muang district. Police are investigating if the death stemmed from a personal conflict or the southern unrest.