NSC:Peace talk with insurgents may be postponed

BANGKOK, April 9 (TNA) - The second round of peace talks between the Thai government, through the National Security Council (NSC), and representatives of insurgent groups in the Thai far South, especially those of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group, may be postponed from April 29, 2013 due to the general election in neighbouring Malaysia. NSC Secretary-General Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabutr told journalists of the update on Tuesday, noting that Malaysia, the mediator of the peace talks, as well as the NSC and the insurgent side will later reschedule the negotiations. Lieutenant General Paradorn acknowledged that continual violent incidents in the troubled Thai deep South do not cause the postponement, but admitting that they may have some impacts on the negotiations, insisting that the peace talks will continue. The NSC chief said that he believes the BRN group can communicate with other insurgent groups, assuring that the negotiations happen with the right party, as the BRN has played its leading roles in the southernmost Thai region and other insurgent groups may then join the negotiations in the future. In response to comments that the negotiations may fail because the Runda Kumpalan Kecil (RKK) insurgent group disagrees with it, the NSC chief pointed out that the BRN needs to communicate with the RKK, assessing that the communication should be successful. According to the NSC secretary-general, the peace negotiations are just in the stage of developing mutual understanding and have not yet entered the stage of detailed talks; so, he has, in the meantime, ordered local security officers to take precautions. (TNA)