By D. Arul Rajoo, Bernama,
Bangkok : Talks between the Thai Government and southern separatist groups had been taking place since June, 2005, with the latest being held in Jakarta at the end of last month, Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo)’s foreign affairs chief Kasturi Mahkuta said.
In an interview with Prince Songkhla University’s Deep South Watch think tank, the Sweden-based Kasturi said the talks started during former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s reign, and continued during the administration of the military regime under Surayud Chulanont and now with his successor, Samak Sundaravej.
“It started during Thaksin’s government and we had many talks during Surayud’s time. Not much now as Samak’s government is still new,” he said in the interview, which was carried in the Pattani-based think-tank’s website.
Kasturi said Pulo and BRN Coordinate, the two biggest separatist groups involved in the conflict where they are fighting to seek independence for the Muslim-majority and Malay-speaking Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces, were representing the separatists.
Asked who represented the Thai side and if it was the same person during all the talks, Kasturi said an official from a Thai security department came for the meetings but his position had changed since then.
Peace was restored there in the last decade but more than 3,000 people have died since separatists launched a campaign of bombings and shootings in January, 2004.
Kasturi also denied any involvement of Malaysia in the ongoing conflict, saying that many people often had the wrong impression that the neighbour was involved just because they spoke the same language and were mostly Muslims like in the south.
He said the separatists had no intention to join Malaysia if they succeeded in getting independence from Thailand, and instead wanted to establish a Pattani Islamic Republic that can be modelled after Malaysia’s administration system and using Syariah Law.
“We will use Syariah Law but we will not force it on non-Muslims,” he said.
Kasturi also said despite the Thai Government’s denial, the conflict had become an international issue and separatist groups are planning to ask the European Union to interfere as it had the track record of caring for minority groups and human rights.
Asked what was discussed during the negotiations, he said both sides were still trying to trust each other.
“The conflict has been going on for the past 100 years. So it takes more time to have confidence in each other,” said Kasturi, who reiterated that Pulo and other separatist movements are keen to solve the matter peacefully although violence was taking place daily.