He also urged media members not to become “megaphones” for separatists who resort to violence to pressure the Thai government. Aksara said the talks since 2015 had achieved some agreements towards the establishment of safety zones. This was to convince those separatists who disagreed with the Thai state and who remained undecided to believe that the talks could lead to the end of violence and the restoration of peace in the deep South. Aksara remarked that both sides of the talks wanted people to co-exist with dignity and equality amid cultural and lifestyle diversity. Hence, any previous news about the structure and strategies of any separatist group was likely to have come from analysis of information obtained from interviews or news reports.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 01, 2017 09:11 UTC