Thai authorities to consider BRN demands

BANGKOK, September 30 (TNA) - The Thai government's senior security authorities plan to consider five demands made by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) militant group within the next two weeks. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Police General Pracha Promnog told journalists on Monday that the BRN's five demands will be considered by the operations centre for the implementation of policies and strategies on solutions to the Thai deep South. Police General Pracha reiterated that the cease-fire talks between the Thai government, through the National Security Council (NSC), and representatives of insurgent groups in the Thai far South, led by the BRN, are to be continued, aimed at ending bloody violence in the troubled Thai deep South, and that the Thai government has been on the right track. According to the deputy premier, the Thai authorities do not need to agree with all the BRN’s five demands and they will not discuss with the militant group on its demand for autonomy in the violence-plagued Thai far South, either. The deputy prime minister noted that Malaysia also does not agree with the BRN's demand on the autonomy in the southern border Thai region. BRN’s five demands include Malaysia’s role in the peace talks be changed from “facilitator” to “mediator”, the dialogues be continued on behalf of the Pattani Malayu people, led by the BRN, while observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Organisation of Islamic Countries and non-government organisations are to be allowed to attend the peace talks, all detained insurgents to be released unconditionally and the BRN's members to be recognised as liberators, not separatists. More than 5,000 persons have been killed and over 9,000 wounded since bloody violence erupted in the Thai deep South in January 2004. (TNA)