General Wallop Raksanoh to head government peace talks with southern rebels

 

 

Thailand’s National Security Council secretary-general, General Wallop Raksanoh, will formally assume the role of the government’s chief of delegation in peace talks with Mara Pattani, an umbrella group of southern rebel factions.

 

General Wallop will replace Gen Udomchai Thammasarote, an advisor to the Royal Thai Army and former commander of the south-based Fourth Army Region.

 

Mara Pattani withdrew from the peace process ahead of the March 24th general election after Gen Udomchai failed to show up for a February meeting in Kuala Lumpur, which had been facilitated by Malaysia.

 

Even before the collapse of dialogue earlier this year, the peace process was fractured. Little progress had been made in four years of sporadic talks.

 

The election of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad last year injected some new momentum into the talks and, after Mahathir met his Thai counterpart General Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok, both countries agreed to appoint new peace envoys, with Malaysia serving as a third party facilitator.

 

Malaysian mediator Mohammad Noor paid a four-day visit to southern Thailand in early June, where he held meetings with religious leaders and the commander of the Fourth Army Region, Lt-Gen Pornsak Poonsawat. Noor returned to KL optimistic, suggesting that formal dialogue could soon resume in Penang, but without setting a date.

 

Regarding the appointment of General Wallop, former NSC chief Lt-Gen Paradorn Patthanathabutr, who has also headed the peace dialogue, noted that trust building is the most important element in the peace process with Mara Pattani.

 

He said that there had been almost no progress in the peace talks in the past five years under the NCPO’s rule in Thailand, and he doubted that the elected government with the same prime minister would inspire trust within the rebel factions.

 

Former secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, which oversees non-military affairs in Thailand’s Deep South, Pol Col Thawee Sodsong, also stressed the importance of mutual trust to ensure productive peace talks.

 

Source: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/general-wallop-raksanoh-to-head-government-peace-talks-with-southern-rebels/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2019-09-30

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Not one Thai army general has ever made the slightest difference to the violence in this region....this new guy may bring some hope, but it's doubtful as all efforts from Thailand, simply seem to be token.

 

His name says it all:

Definition of wallop

 (Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

2a : to move with reckless or disorganized haste : advance in a headlong rush

Ha, General Wallop?????

18 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Not one Thai army general has ever made the slightest difference to the violence in this region....this new guy may bring some hope, but it's doubtful as all efforts from Thailand, simply seem to be token.

 

 

Wrong general for the job. They should have assigned it to Air Chief Marshall Maanat.

 

According to an article in the other English language newspaper today he claims :

 

 "At times, I've worked 24 hours a day for seven days without fail."

 

What a guy !! That's the sort of worker you want.

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

General Wallop  to head government peace talks with southern rebels

Bit like General Crashbang to lead a road safety drive

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

assume the role of the government’s chief of delegation in peace talks with Mara Pattani

Then already a failure.

MARA Patani includes representatives from the National Revolutionary Front (BRN), the largest and most powerful of southern insurgent groups and controls virtually all of the militant rebels, but its hardcore leaders have stayed away from the peace talks.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/negotiator-resigns-05172019144756.html

Prayut has tried to use MARA Patani to isolate the influence of the BRN from peace negotiations. When he established various "safe zones" in the southern provinces he did so without the cooperation of the BRN. And violence continued in those areas. BRN says "peace initiative between Thailand and MARA Patani is a tactic designed to bypass their demands and also the underlying causes of the dispute between the Thai state and the Malays of Patani." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30357122

 

Regardless of whatever decisions the government reaches with MARA Patani, it must assure inclusion and concurrence with BRN!

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

trust building is the most important element in the peace process with Mara Pattani.

• Immediately lift the 5-year State of Emergency in the southern provinces!
• Recognize the BRN and other long-standing separatist groups are collectively a symptom of Thailand’s misguided policy of assimilation. 
• Allow international mediators who have no association whatsoever with the insurgency nor the Thai government as part of peace negotiations. This has been one of the persistent demands of the insurgency. The Thai military has repeatedly rejected any international involvement in "peace talks" other than including Malaysia as a facilitator.
• Officially make peace talks part of Thailand's national agenda such that any changes in government leadership cannot alter any progress in peace talks. This has been one of the persistent demands of the insurgency.
• Hold talks with insurgent leadership outside of Thailand in a neutral country wherein leadership is not threatened by detention and retribution. "The Thai generals see the ongoing violence in the South not as a conflict but a series of criminal acts, the perpetrators of which must be captured and prosecuted."  http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30356233  
• Recognize that the root cause of the problem was not religion but injustice.  

  http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30357208

• Designation of the relevant southern provinces as potential "special administration areas" (aka semi-autonomous, autonomous) must be part of the negotiation agenda. See below.

It's not only trust issues but performance issues.

"The lack of progress stems from the fact that the government has introduced no meaningful policy changes for the Malay-speaking southern border provinces." ditto cite

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Malaysian mediator Mohammad Noor

"Abdul Rahim Noor’s negotiations are doomed if the Thai government doesn’t bend on autonomy." ditto cite

"However, Prayut said, the dialogue will only be carried out within the framework of Thailand’s Constitution." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30357117 

 

The Constitution only recognizes a unitary State. That rules out even mention of any special administrative, semi-autonomous or autonomous region within the State. As majority vote of pro-military Senators appointed by Prayut is required for any constitutional changes for the next five years, the military remains in control of peace talks irrespective of any civilian participation or intentions no matter their political party affiliation.