Thai government to hold talks with insurgents in deep South

BANGKOK, September 10 (TNA) - The government plans to hold talks with insurgents in the Thai far South, aimed to end persistent unrest and to restore peace and order in the violence-plagued southernmost region. Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa, who oversees national security, said on Monday that the Thai government has already identified those behind insurgency in the Thai deep South and plans to send officials to negotiate with them, insisting that Thailand can solve the internal problem. After a meeting on the unrest in the southern border region, General Yuthasak told journalists that most of those behind the unrest in the Thai far South are community leaders who have given instructions to insurgents, and that their number is small. General Yuthasak affirmed that negotiations were being planned and would then be proposed to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for her approval. The deputy premier, however, quoted the director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as reporting that violent incidents in the Thai far South have been relieved lately, with insurgents now using landmines instead of bombs. According to the deputy premier, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told Premier Yingluck during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Russia last weekend that Kuala Lumpur would not intervene in Thailand's affairs in the southern border region but would be ready to cooperate, if requested. (TNA)