Published on Nov 27, 2006 - Dialogue between officials and Malay separatists is developing trust: consul

A mid a new surge in violence in the deep South, a key man behind meetings of senior Thai officials and established Malay separatist leaders insists the dialogue must continue as peace in the volatile region could depend on the outcome.

In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, honorary consul at the Royal Thai Consulate in Langkawi, said sides had reached a "certain level of comfort and trust" over the past year following a series of meetings.

He encouraged the government to "shift to the next phase".

"The next phase doesn't have to be in Malaysia. But it's important it continues because channels of communication have been established and topics for further discussion identified," Eskay said.

Eskay and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad initiated the series of meetings over this past year.

They became known as the "Langkawi process".

Eskay said Bangkok took the talks seriously and this was illustrated by its sending of the then Armed Forces' Security Centre chief Lt-General Vaipot Srinuan and General Winai Pathiyakul of the National Security Council.

Separatist participants have included Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani president Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman, Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) vice president Razi Bin Hassan, Barisan Revolusi Nasional Congress (BRN) president Abdulah Bin Ismail, its vice president Abdullah Bin Idris and Bersatu president Wan Kadir Che Man.

The process started in late 2005 and by February 2006 a Joint Peace and Development Plan for Southern Thailand was handed to the government.

It was a list of topics for further discussion.

It remains unclear why the Thaksin-Shinawatra administration sat on it. With the former prime minister now out of power, participants are calling on the government to kick-start the next phase.

Eskay said the Langkawi process was not a "formal negotiation" but "an attempt to identify common ground between the two sides and designed to reconcile differences". The most fundamental of these was the difficult relationship between Bangkok and the ethnic Malay historic homeland - including Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Eskay explained the process discussed a wide range of issues already - including Malay identity, social mobility, use of Malay as a "working language", amnesty, education and economic development. The topic of a "separate state" was not on the table.

"The Thai side would have never come to the table if the issue of a separate state was on the agenda," Eskay admitted.

Eskay confessed there were hardliners among the separatists which he referred to as "splinters". They were unwilling to compromise on the issue of a separate state. Nevertheless, Eskay said "tremendous" ground had been made towards reconciliation with separatist groups.

Many of these groups have been active since the 1960s. They disappeared or were rendered ineffective after a government amnesty crippled their military wings and forced their leaders into exile.

Eskay said the Langkawi participants were willing to settle for less than complete independence for Malays in southern Thailand. He said the challenge now was to find ways these groups and their members could reconcile their past with the Thai state. This could be achieved at the next stage of the process.

It is not clear if separatist leaders are hoping for some sort of political niche. To date the topics on the table have been broad and few specifics have been discussed, Eskay added.

With communications open and a level of confidence achieved the government and separatist leaders could move to the next phase. This could tackle specifics and sensitive issues - including a ceasefire or permanent peace.

This could end violence in the Muslim-majority South where as many as 1,800 people have lost their lives since January 2004.

Eskay reported the separatist leaders who attended the Langkawi process admitted to Bangkok they had "a network of supporters" on the ground but fell short of confirming if they had any role in directing attacks.

Much daily violence is blamed on a new generation of village-based militants, organised in small cells numbering about 10 and run by a leader. These cells call their own shots.

Locals often refer to these cells as "juwae" - or fighters in the Malay dialect - and do not associate them with formal groups such as Pulo or BRN.

But Eskay believed traditional-group leaders - some of whom emerged in the 1960s - could have influence with the juwae.

A second phase of the Langkawi process may be an opportunity for hardliners to be included. There may even be room for suspected separatists such as Masae Useng or Sapae-ing Baso.

Don Pathan
The Nation
PATTANI

----------------------
Mahathir set up peace talks

Published on Oct 6, 2006 - No breakthrough as ex-PM helps attempt to ease conflict in South

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad quietly helped arrange at least two meetings between Thai officials, including some generals, and Muslim separatist leaders on Malaysia's island of Langkawi, but the talks produced no major breakthrough, rebel and government sources said yesterday.

A senior Thai security official and a prominent exiled leader from the Malay-speaking South were quick to downplay the significance of the Langkawi sessions - the last one held three months ago. The sources said Mahathir was not in a position to push the peace process towards any meaningful end because he is no longer a government representative.

"There was nothing special about the meetings. Mahathir was just acting in his capacity as a private person, although it was difficult for anybody to decline an invitation," a rebel source said.

Many of the militant leaders reportedly reside in northern Malaysia, although Kuala Lumpur consistently denies any involvement with the insurgency in southern Thailand.

In September last year, amid a war of words between Thailand and Malaysia over the 131 Thai Muslim villagers who fled their homes and took refuge in northern Malaysia, then defence minister Thamarak Isarangura took pot shots at Mahathir, telling reporters that Muslim insurgents had been holding meetings in Langkawi, which he described as "Mahathir's island".

Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin confirmed that insurgents have indicated that they would like to "engage" with Thai officials but declined to single out any separatist organisation.

"This would not be a negotiation. We will just talk to find solutions," said Sonthi, who heads the Council of National Security - the military junta behind the Septem-ber 19 coup.

Sonthi said he has assigned Fourth Army Area commander Lt-General Viroj Buachoroon to consider the appropriate officials to represent the Thai side.

"If we have a chance to talk to each other, that could be the way to solve the problem," Sonthi said.

One of the leading separatist movements, the Patani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), agreed with the new conciliatory approach in principle but declined to say what would be put on the table for discussion.

"Pulo has not been officially contacted by the Thai government for any dialogue but Pulo welcomes the opportunity to exchange views [with Thai officials]," said Kasturi Mahkota, Pulo's foreign affairs chief.

In a statement dated September 1, Kasturi said Pulo welcomed Sonthi's proposal to enter into a dialogue with the Malays' "liberation movements … provided that there must be sincere commitment from the Thai government side in handling the problem-solving process."

Pulo laid out several preconditions. The discussions must be facilitated by a third party, the "liberation movement's delegation must be considered [by the Thai government as] official" and immunity must be fully granted to the movements' delegation.

Kasturi also told The Nation that Pulo is willing to settle for something less than full independence for the deep South.

Sonthi's announcement was seen as an abrupt policy change from the administration of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra but in fact, said rebel and official sources, several informal encounters between officials and rebel leaders have been staged in various places in European cities.

Agence-France Presse quoted a Thai official as saying Thai authorities would hold talks with two insurgent groups early next month.

"Core leaders of both the Patani United Liberation Organisation and Bersatu have contacted us through senior figures in Malaysia to propose peace talks," the official said.

"Negotiations are expected to take place in one month after the Cabinet is named, so possibly in early November, and negotiations would be organised in a neutral country like Singapore," the official said.

Kasturi declined to comment on the news report.

Don Pathan
The Nation