Thailand's NSC not yet accept BRN demands

BANGKOK, September 12 (TNA) - Thailand's National Security Council (NSC) insists that it has not accepted any demand of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) insurgency movement. NSC Secretary-General Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabutr acknowledged on Thursday that his agency has received the BRN's five written demands, through Malaysia, but his agency has not yet accepted any of them, as it needs to sound out reactions from local people first. According to the NSC chief, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) will study the BRN's demands and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) will discuss them with local people, the civil sector and academics. The NSC chief noted that the Thai authorities concerned will then discuss the matter with the government's committee on solving security problems in the troubled Thai far South, with a concluded response by the panel for the BRN's demands expected before the next round of peace talks between the Thai government, through the NSC, and the BRN approximately on Oct 20, 2013. The NSC secretary-general made the remarks after attending the latest meeting of the government's committee, during which state budgetary support for security operations and latest violent incidents in the southernmost Thai region were also discussed, as state officers have become targets of violent attacks lately. (TNA)