‘Safe house’ to pave way for safety zones

Authorities plan to open a “safe house” in the restive South to pave the way for safety zones and help oversee long-term solutions to the long-running insurgency in the Muslim-dominated region.

Malaysian authorities will witness its opening, said Gen Aksara Kerdphol.

Malaysia is facilitating peace talks between Thailand and Mara Patani, an umbrella organisation of insurgent groups in the South, over the separatist movement there, said Gen Aksara, who leads the Thai delegation.

The safe house is seen as a key step in ending the violence triggered by militant groups in Narathiwat since 2004 because it will “mobilise everyone to work together” on the upcoming safety zone plan, he added.

The Thai government and Mara Patani have agreed to support the idea of setting up these safety zones.

Last year they suggested establishing them in five districts in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat but more talks are needed to fine-tune details due to differences of opinion as to what constitutes a safe zone.

Earlier suggestions pointed to areas where insurgent attacks occur frequently, or where Mara Patani can control its operational units.

“Now party A, party B [in the dispute] and the facilitator all know where the safety areas are or should be,” Gen Aksara said, referring to how talks were progressing. He declined to specify district names. “We have to report back to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha first,” he said.

He expected it would take three to four months to hammer out the full details, including all appropriate security-tightening measures.

Experts and local communities must help keep the designated areas safe and free from violence if the plan is to succeed, pundits say.

The Barisan Revolusi Naional (BRN) separatist movement, which operates under the Mara Pattani umbrella, agreed the safety zones must also be drug-free and “clearly different” from other areas, Gen Aksara said.

Despite continuing episodes of violence, the security situation in the deep South has improved steadily over the last 14 years when the troubles resurfaced, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) said on Jan 4.

That marked the 14th anniversary of the theft of a weapons cache and the “night of the fires” that triggered the most recent wave of the insurgency.

Col Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of Isoc Region 4, said the overall situation has since improved with 8,700 troops withdrawn from the region in October 2016.