Plan to create ‘safety zone’ in deep South still exists

BANGKOK, May 13 (TNA) -- A plan to create a ‘safety zone’ in five districts in three deep southern provinces still exists following Tuesday’s car bombing attack by insurgents which wounded 61 persons in Pattani, said Gen Aksara Kerdpol, chief of the Thai delegation at peace talks with southern Muslim insurgent groups. Gen Aksara said the society must separate the two major issues between the ongoing negotiation between the government and representatives of the insurgent groups and the bloody violence in the deep southern provinces. The society always blame the work of the government negotiating team after violence occurs, he said. Peace talks have, in fact, made considerable progress as talks were made with 521 insurgent networks and six groups so far. Insisting that peace talks between the government and the insurgent groups would continue in future, Gen Aksara stressed that the plan to create ‘safety zone’ in five districts of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces will not be abolished. He said he had on Friday briefed Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha on the progress of ongoing peace talks. Law will be dealt with those using violence, he said, adding that he plans to confer with permanent secretary for Justice Charnchao Chaiyanukij next week on what authorities should do in areas of ‘safety zone’. (TNA)