PM shuns peace dialogue with separatist groups

[rooster59]

PM shuns peace dialogue with separatist groups

BANGKOK: Informal peace talks between the government and southern separatist groups under the umbrella organization of Mara Patani has been dealt with a big blow after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made it clear that the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law.

“…Thailand cannot negotiate with law breakers. It must be based on law and justice process. The negotiating team must ask them (separatist groups) whether they can accept this term or not. If not, the team must return,” said the prime minister when asked by a reporter about the lack of progress in the last round of peace dialogue in Kuala Lumpur.

The prime minister said he could not accept the separatist groups’ demand that they should be referred to as Mara Patani. “Why should we accept their demand of how they should be called? You know how many groups there are? You know why the talks were held abroad because they could not be held in the country,” he added.

Prime Minister Prayut made clear that his government would not submit to the demand of the separatist groups so long as they resort to violence and arms.

However, he maintained that the government was determined to solve all problems in a fair and equitable manner within the framework of the law.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/161632

-- Thai PBS 2016-04-30

[leeneeds]

Good luck with that P M

I doubt very much you would have on board

your team a kennedy or Ghandi type negotiator

If like you, ( a blunt shovel attitude )

Negotiating is not beating the opponent ,

but a task of trying to solve the puzzle,

It just maybe that you would be better off sending a woman

as chief negotiator, as they would tackle the problems in a different

manner than a thai thinking man.

just my opinion,

[happy Joe]

One may not be a supporter of the junta but appreciate during military firmness appropriate in these circumstances.

Claims of South Muslims are limitless. Accept to cede a finger today would give up arm tomorrow. And he rest of the body after, huh.

Besides Muslims are not mistaken when they hold power over a piece of land. they never cede a small ounce.

[torpedo1970]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made it clear that the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law."

That is a great way to show diplomacy and smooth negotiation skills.......

[taony]

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

[BigBadGeordie]

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

Harsh, very harsh. You appear to have forgoten his song writing ability and of course..................the lottery.

[NongKhaiKid]

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

Harsh, very harsh. You appear to have forgoten his song writing ability and of course..................the lottery.

Bike lanes and bike events too Geordie.

[jamesbrock]

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

Harsh, very harsh. You appear to have forgoten his song writing ability and of course..................the lottery.

Bike lanes and bike events too Geordie.

I was going to add dealing with the Motor Show pretties, but he even failed at that too...

[tuanku]

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made it clear that the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law.

Said the frontman for the armed forces who conducted an illegal (at the time) military coup.

[tuanku]

Perhaps he does not want peace in the South.

Visible threats are a godsend to weak and unpopular Governments.

Remember what the Falklands did for Margaret Thatcher's popularity?

A conflagration in the South would be a further distraction from civil rights issues and would cast the Army as being the protectors rather than the despoilers of the Nation. Don't be surprised if military action is ramped up to raise the stakes in the near future.

[Holy Cinema]

One may not be a supporter of the junta but appreciate during military firmness appropriate in these circumstances.

Claims of South Muslims are limitless. Accept to cede a finger today would give up arm tomorrow. And he rest of the body after, huh.

Besides Muslims are not mistaken when they hold power over a piece of land. they never cede a small ounce.

But this is the guy who back in end of 2014 promised that the insurgency would be over by 2015.

This is the same Junta who made the claims last week of several thousand defectors from the insurgency.

This is the same Junta who last year WERE sitting down and having dialogue with some insurgency factions.

He isn't so tough when the bad guys have weapons and bombs as opposed to text books and sandwiches.

[baboon]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made it clear that the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law."

That was the point at which I simply stopped reading the article.

[DrTuner]

What's the point of having the muslims? Sell to Malaysia.

[Balance]

“…Thailand cannot negotiate with law breakers. It must be based on law and justice process. The negotiating team must ask them (separatist groups) whether they can accept this term or not. If not, the team must return,”

It might help if the PM would publish his idea of what the "law and justice process" actually is, in words. I seriously doubt that anyone on the negotiating team knows what law and justice protocol he is talking about. But this is O.K. because you can talk about what this is for years without saying anything specific or doing anything.

Sometimes my wife has 3-hour phone conversation with a friend or her sister. I know enough Thai to pick up the bare basics. So when she finishes, I ask her what she was talking about and she says, oh, "talk about party for son friend becoming to monk." But why does it take so long, I ask? "Oooh Paa, cannot explain to you. Talk this, talk that, very complicated". A few days later it emerges that the conversation was actually about the politics involved with inviting certain people. But this subject, per se, was never actually mentioned during the course of the conversation.

[WhizBang]

 

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

Harsh, very harsh. You appear to have forgoten his song writing ability and of course..................the lottery.

555555555555555555

[Holy Cinema]

What's the point of having the muslims? Sell to Malaysia.

Well maybe it's because they are actually Thai, and have lived there longer than anyone from Thai Visa who has lived in Thailand?

[Jim walker]

Words of wisdom from a global world class diplomat it's my way or the high way. now <deleted> off

[Eric Loh]

I hope the PM is aboard with all the happenings in the south. The Mara Pattani is not a new group and was formed by the concerted effort of Malaysia. That should itself meant that this group is credible. In fact, the Mara Pattani was one of the groups that the military had negotiation in Kuala Lumpur last year. Their members are also very crucial to peace as most are former BRN leaders. Maybe the PM should visit the south after 2 years in office. Sitting in Bangkok doesn't give him a proper picture of the situation in the south.

[Krataiboy]

the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion

Do as I say, not as we did.

[Srikcir]

Good luck with that P M

I doubt very much you would have on board

your team a kennedy or Ghandi type negotiator

If like you, ( a blunt shovel attitude )

Negotiating is not beating the opponent ,

but a task of trying to solve the puzzle,

It just maybe that you would be better off sending a woman

as chief negotiator, as they would tackle the problems in a different

manner than a thai thinking man.

just my opinion,

better off sending a woman as chief negotiator

Actually PM Yingluck had more productive peacetalks with the insurgents than any other PM.

Even PM Thaksin was against negotiations during his regime.

But the Royal Thai Military continually undercut Yingluck's negotiations that ultimately collapsed with the Democrat/PDRC/Military insurgency against the Thai government.

[elgordo38]

"Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha made it clear that the government will not talk with any organization or group which still resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law."

That is a great way to show diplomacy and smooth negotiation skills.......

Mr. PM just to clarify things what would you call a coup?

[elgordo38]

So its official now. This guy is a complete failure at every aspect of what he does.

He has honed the word failure to perfection.

[ALFREDO]

Still better then all the different colored T-shirts on the roads which will emerge soon after the now strong man is gone.

Wait until these clash really one time.

[ScotBkk]

Good luck with that P M

I doubt very much you would have on board

your team a kennedy or Ghandi type negotiator

If like you, ( a blunt shovel attitude )

Negotiating is not beating the opponent ,

but a task of trying to solve the puzzle,

It just maybe that you would be better off sending a woman

as chief negotiator, as they would tackle the problems in a different

manner than a thai thinking man.

just my opinion,

IMHO

Personally, I think you got it right first time. Best way to negotiate with these people is with a blunt shovel.

Just saying ........

[phycokiller]

letting people have a say in their own future? we cant have that

pretty sure the no mans lands are very useful for certain activities and its not in the militaries interest to have peace in that area

[oldgent]

Talking to the enemy is the only way of understanding him, After years of conflict and huge loss of lives

in N Ireland talking was the way forward. It is not completely settled yet because there are still people

who think like Mr P M

[Bluespunk]

"The prime minister said he could not accept the separatist groups demand that they should be referred to as Mara Patani. Why should we accept their demand of how they should be called?"

Who gives a toss what they to be called?

The conflict in the South is unwinable for either side and peace talks are the only way forward if the violence is to stop.

Stop worrying about ridiculous conditions and find a solution.

[Eric Loh]

There is a school of thought that Prayuth personally against the peace dialogue with Malaysia as the mediator because it was a Thaksin initiative back in 2012. His personal vendetta may be the stumbling block for continue dialogue which is the only chance for peace. The military do not have the position of strength in the south due to years of injustice and mistrust.

[Oziex1]

"resorts to armed rebellion and does not respect the law."

Oh the irony !

[jamesbrock]

What's the point of having the muslims? Sell to Malaysia.

Well maybe it's because they are actually Thai, and have lived there longer than anyone from Thai Visa who has lived in Thailand?

Actually, no, not if you ask them - they are ethnic Malay - and that's the whole point of the insurgency.

The provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, as well as neighbouring parts of Songkhla Province, and the northeastern part of Malaysia (Kelantan), formed part of the Kingdom of Pattani, founded around the mid-13th century CE. In the 14th century CE, the Ayutthaya kingdom conquered the isthmus making the Kingdom of Pattani a self-governing vassal state, which owed allegiance to the king of Ayutthaya, but otherwise ran their own affairs. For centuries the King of Siam restricted himself to exacting a periodic tribute in the form of Bunga mas, ritual trees with gold leaves and flowers that were a symbolic acknowledgement of Siamese suzerainty, leaving the Pattani rulers largely alone.

With the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1569, Pattani became virtually independent, declaring complete independence after the Burmese, once again, captured and destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767. Pattani was again conquered by the Kingdom of Siam in 1785, and resumed its tributary status until 1909, when the Sultanate was divided between London and Bangkok under the the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.

While the nation state of Thailand was created by Bangkok’s colonisation of the north, north-east and south, the Pattani ruling class was never co-opted or assimilated into the Thai ruling elite (and the ethnic Malay population have never been respected or seen as fellow citizens). Even after the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, the government in Bangkok interfered little locally, relying on local officials for the implementation of policies within the Patani region. This included an exemption in implementing Thai Civil Law, which had allowed Muslims to continue their observance of local Islamic laws regarding issues on inheritance and family.

However, by 1934 Marshall Plaek Phibunsongkhram set in motion of a process of Thaification which had as its objective the cultural assimilation of the Pattani people, among other ethnic groups in Thailand. The National Culture Act was enforced as a result of the Thaification process, promoting the concept of "Thai-ness" and its centralist aims. Its "Mandate 3" was directly aimed at the Patani people. By 1944, Thai civil law was enforced throughout the land including the Patani region, over-riding earlier concessions to local Islamic administrative practices. The school curriculum was revised to be Thai-centric, with all lessons in the Thai language, to the detriment of the local Jawi. Traditional Muslim courts that formerly handled civil cases were removed and replaced with civil courts run and approved by the central government in Bangkok.

This destruction and division of their Sultanate by the British, forced assimilation and perceived imposition of Thai-Buddhist cultural practices upon their society by the Thais, and being denied recognition as a culturally separate ethnic minority forced Pattani leaders to react against the Thai government policy towards them, leading to the insurgency as we know it today.