The process to bring peace in turbulent southern Thailand has shown progress with the Thai government and the Pattani freedom group getting closer to starting official peace negotiations.

This was divulged by a source in Mara Patani, which serves as the umbrella for the freedom groups in southern Thailand and is currently involved in exploratory talks and confidence-building measures with the Thai government.

“There is definitely progress in the exploratory talks and confidence-building measures and we expect an official meeting will be held soon," the source told Bernama today.

He said the technical teams on both sides had met at the end of last month to discuss the Terms of Reference (TOR) before starting formal peace negotiations.

The source did not reveal the location of the meeting between the two technical teams but it is believed to have been held in Kuala Lumpur by virtue of the fact that Malaysia is the facilitator in the unofficial negotiations.

Still haggling on two key issues

The turbulence in southern Thailand which has been going for several years has resulted in thousands of lives lost including civilians.

According to the source, the latest negotiations between the technical teams of Mara Patani and the Thai government recently was on the TOR and it had achieved encouraging developments.

"About 80 to 90 percent on TOR have been achieved except for the endorsement of the steering committees on both sides," he said.

The source, who declined to identify himself, as the information was sensitive, said this when asked to comment on reports in the Thai media on the progress of the unofficial meetings between both parties.

Meanwhile, a key member of the Thai negotiation team in the unofficial talks, Lt-Gen Nakrob Bunbuathong, said the parties were still haggling on two key issues regarding the TOR, which he declined to comment further.

“We will sign the TOR after we have agreed on the two issues. After that the talks between the parties will become official," he said, adding that they were expected to meet Mara Patani in May.

The key issues on TOR which the Thai's side still had not agreed, said Nakrob, were still being deliberated by the steering committee and would be forwarded to Malaysia, which serves as the facilitator, once Bangkok reached a decision.

The Thai media claimed the Thai government and Mara Patani negotiation teams would meet soon to sign an agreement on the TOR to enable peaces negotiation to be officially held.

It said the details on the TOR had been agreed to by both sides.

Although both sides (Thai and Mara Patani) have not officialy started the peace negotiations and continue to state that the current situation as unofficial meetings, it is heading towards official peace negotiations, according to the Thai media.

On the contents of TOR, the source declined to divulge it because it was still not finalised but confirmed that three early proposals submitted by Mara Patani were in it and had been discussed.

However, he did not clarify further on the three early proposals by Mara Patani.

– Bernama