The government has appointed General Somsak Rungsita to head the delegation for peace talks with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), an umbrella organisation representing several insurgent groups active in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla province, according to Chatchai Bangchuad, secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC).
The NSC meeting today, chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, also agreed to form a special government delegation, whose task will be to coordinate between policy makers and field officials in the Deep South to ensure a smooth and seamless working relationship, he said.
Given that the government will be in the office for only a short time, between four months and a year, Chatchai said that the special government delegation will serve as a key element in efforts to address the unrest and other important issues in the Deep South.
The meeting did not go into details about who will be included in the special delegation, but assigned the NSC to decide the size of the delegation and the people to be appointed.
Peace dialogue between the government and the BRN, facilitated by Malaysia, has been suspended since early 2024. Subsequently, the government of prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was not enthusiastic about resuming the talks, prompting the BRN to issue a statement in June this year,
accusing the government of lacking sincerity.
