The participation of one of the smaller southern Thailand separatist groups in recent peace talks with the Thai government has been lauded by several groups.

Among them, Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF) executive director Mukhriz Mahathir said the involvement of BRN-Coordinate (BRN-C) in the talks indicated a good development in attaining peace in the respite south.

Recent media reports said that BRN-C, which is a splinter group of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), was represented by its leader Sapaeing Basoe in the talks with Thai authorities in Kelantan

Sapaeing is credited as Thailand's most wanted separatist and has been in hiding since a Dec 17, 2004 army raid on his school in Yala and the arrest of four teachers suspected of being involved in violence.

"It's definitely a different approach. We've always wanted the talks to be all-inclusive. There's not much point in holding negotiations with some groups to the exclusion of the others," said Mukhriz when contacted today.

"You need to have more people thrashing out the details (at the negotiating table)," he added.

Engaging more groups

Leaders of the more established separatist groups had previously claimed BRN-C was among those that had urged them to disengage from peace talks with the Thai government if this means compromising the goal of independence.

Such hardliners, they said, which also included groups such as Thai-Muslim youth organisation Pemuda and Gerakan Islam Mujahidin Pattani (GIMP), pose a problem to peace prospects as they are not willing to cease their long-term and comprehensive goals for an independent southern Thai state for Muslims.

With BRN-C's present inclusion in the talks, said one separatist leader, at least one more group is engaged in dialogue.

This, he said, raised the chances of de-escalating the conflict, which has claimed more than 2,000 lives since violence flared up in the three Muslim-majority provinces southern Thailand.

It may also pre-empt the possibility of it turning inwards between the armed groups.

With BRN-C in the equation, added the leader who wished to remain anonymous, it also multiplies the number of groups that can be invited to talk.

"If BRN-C can invite others to the negotiating table, by all means, they should extend the invitation," he said when contacted.

Young sympathisers

Peace talks with the Thai government received a kick-start last October when former premier and PGPF chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad helped broker a peace proposal.

However efforts to end the three-decade old strife are said to have seen little progress as it is complicated and exacerbated by violence perpetrated by organised criminal and drug syndicates and political and personal feuds between local power brokers.

Another factor is the involvement of ordinary Muslim youths who, though not full-time armed members of any one group, sympathise with the armed attacks and sometimes participate in them as independent and spontaneous 'cells' because of the injustices and discrimination to which they are subjected.

Though the total number of such youths are small, especially in relation to the police and military presence in southern Thailand, they are said to be in every village.

Addressing this factor, Mukhriz said the agreement of the Malaysian government last week to provide education, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities to southern Thai youth was a step forward in the right direction.

"This is a critical move, as many southern Thai youth feel neglected, and steps have to be taken to bridge the socio-economic gap between South Thailand and the rest of the country," he said.