Opposition party urges govt to review ceasefire agreement with BRN

BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) - The major opposition Democrat Party has urged the government to review the ceasefire agreement made with Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) militant group on reducing violence in restive provinces during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Charging the government of becoming a BRN tool in the continued bloody violence in the deep South, Thavorn Senneam, a deputy leader of Democrat Party, cited reports from Malaysia as saying that BRN core leaders had written to Malaysia in its capacity as facilitator for the past three rounds of peace talks between BRN and senior Thai security officers, blaming the Thai government of violating the agreement, forcing the militants to retaliate with severe force. Thavorn, a former deputy interior minister overseeing violence problem in the deep South, said he believed this was an excuse by the militant group in continuing launching violent attacks in the troubled region and it showed the weakness of Lt. Gen. Paradorn Pattanathabutr, Secretary-General of National Security Council, who headed the Thai government team in the peace talks. It shows that the BRN is unable to reduce violence in the area and the government should, therefore, review its stance on the ceasefire talks, said Thavorn. Dato Sri Ahmad Zamzamin bin Hashim, former director of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organization, has said Thai authorities and the BRN agreed the ceasefire during Ramadan. However, the commitment to ceasefire would be limited only to 40 days timeframe, from the beginning of the fast on July 10 until August 18, and would cover the three southern border provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala as well as five districts in Songkhla - Na Thawi, Sadao, Thepa, Chana and Saba Yoi. Lt. Gen. Paradorn insisted that Thai security officials did not violate the agreement, saying that a core leader of Ronda Kumpulan Kecil militant group was killed Friday in Narathiwat during an exchange of gunfire with government forces. Lt. Gen. Paradorn admitted that both the BRN and Thai security officials are not able to control violence in the area due to several factors including drug trafficking, goods smuggling and politics in the troubled region. He added the next round of peace talks will be held after the end of Ramadan. (TNA)