Children included in peace talks

BANGKOK, March 27 (TNA) - As violence has continued in the Thai far South and the first-round negotiation between the Thai government, through the National Security Council (NSC), and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgent group is scheduled for March 28, 2013, Save the Children Thailand, in partnership with the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies (IHRP), Mahidol University, and the Foundation for Child Development (FCD), are jointly calling for the Thai government to include children in the agenda of peace talks to ensure the youths' safety for a long and healthy life. The three agencies have worked together in the violence-plagued Thai deep South since 2010, under the Kampong Suanae:“Building Happy Community” Project, supported by the European Union (EU), to create a safe environment for children in the southernmost Thai region. The three agencies have proposed that the Thai government ensure schools in the southern border Thai region become conflict-free zones by removing all military bases from their grounds in order to provide children with safe places to learn and play, provide distressed children with psychosocial support and treat child cases under the juvenile court. Save the Children’s Programme Director for Thailand Allison Zelkowits, meanwhile, said at a conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCCT) in Bangkok on March 26 that she would like both the Thai government and the BRN insurgent group to include issues on how the violence is affecting the youths, especially violence in schools, during their March 28 talks. Zelkowits also expressed her hopes once both sides agreed that violence abuses are bringing distress to children, both parties would nod for supporting school grounds as off-limit zones for violence to provide local youths with safe environment for their learning and growing up. (TNA)