Truce offered in deep South

Yala - Newly appointed commander of the Fourth Army Region, Lt. Geneal Viroj Buacharoon, Wednesday said he has received signal form an unspecified number of separatist groups asking to negotiate for a peace deal with the authorities but did not elaborated.

Viroj said the militants had made the initiative but would not elaborate as to which particular organization, individuals.

The statement could be an indication that the insurgency in the Malay-speaking region has reached a new threshold. No insurgent group has emerged to take responsibility for the violence that has jolted the restive region since late 2001 but not officially acknowledged until a major raid on an Army camp in January 2004.

Source: The Nation - 4 October 2006

The mere circumstance a commander bothers to inform the public about "received signals" is to be taken very positive ... at least compared to statements of the iron-fist kind.