Regional News
Nine Insurgent Groups Confirmed to Join Peace Talks in South
BANGKOK- Nine insurgent groups have been confirmed to join the peace talk with the Thai government on Thursday.
National Security Council Secretary-General Lt. Gen. Paradorn Pattanatabut has confirmed that eight other insurgent groups will join the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) to talk with the representatives from the Thai government on peace process in the restive South.
The nine groups are the BRN, BRN Congress, BRN Coordinate, the New PULO, PULO 88, Barisan Islam Pembangunan (BIP), Gerakan Mujjahideen Islam Pattani, Gerakan Mujahideen Pattani, and Ulama Pattani.
The nine groups will altogether send in 15 representatives to join the Thai government’s 15 representatives. The talk is hosted and facilitated by Malaysia.
Names of six out of 15 representatives on the Thai government’s side have been revealed. These include the deputy defence permanent secretary, a senior Internal Security Operation Command official, the commander of the Special Branch Police – which is a national intelligence unit – the director of King Prajadhipok’s Office of Peace and Governance, and the director of the Souther Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC). -NNT