Malaysia:NSC-BRN peace talks ease violence in Thai far South

KOTA BHARU, MALAYSIA, February 20 (TNA) - The Malaysian peace negotiation facilitator says that peace talks between Thai authorities, led by the National Security Council (NSC), and representatives of insurgents in the Thai far South over the past year have helped relieve violence in the southernmost Thai region to a certain extent. Dato Seri Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim, the facilitator, made the assessment at a press conference in Kota Bharu City of the Malaysian Kelantan State on Wednesday, saying that the peace talks between representatives of the Thai government, led by the NSC, and those of insurgents in the Thai deep South, led by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) movement, started on February 28, 2013 and have had four subsequent discussions to restore peace in the Thai deep South. Dato Seri Ahmad Zamzamin Hashim noted, however, that the peace talks have been postponed since December 2013 due to political problems in Thailand and Malaysia, as the facilitator, hoped the peace talks would resume. According to the Malaysian peace negotiation facilitator, cooperation between NSC Secretary General Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabutr and BRN representatives, led by Hassan Taib, to restore peace in the Thai far South is a courage which deserves admiration the most. The Malaysian peace negotiation facilitator acknowledged that past violent incidents, including those in the Ramadan month, were discussed, understanding was created for many incidents and discussions on misunderstanding on negotiating tables could really solve problems. The Malaysian peace negotiation facilitator stated that Malaysia understood why the peace negotiations were suspended and it hoped the new Thai government would resume the peace talks, but if the new Thai government ended the Malaysian facilitator's roles, Kuala Lumpur would stop the roles.(TNA)