 |
||
|
Multimedia
News
English
Malay
ไทย
Arabic
News
haksin VS Insurgents No, I did not : fugitive ex-premier - 09/04/2012 
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied an allegation he held talks with southern insurgents in Malaysia.
"I am not in the position to conduct such negotiations since I am just an unemployed man," he said in an interview in Hong Kong.
Two Democrat MPs, Prasert Phongsuwansiri and Thaworn Senneam, alleged that an insurgency-linked website posted a picture of Thaksin in a meeting with some 18 southern insurgents, voicing suspicion that recent bomb attacks in Hat Yai and Yala might have been set off by insurgents opposing the talks.
Thaksin said remarks by the two Democrats were groundless, insisting he had never met with any insurgent leaders, including those from the PULO movement. He said talks, if ever they take place, should be with a neighbouring country like Malaysia in order to deny the insurgents a safe haven. When Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra paid a visit to Kuala Lumpur in February, she sought Malaysian cooperation in tracking down the insurgents, he said. Although in his opinion, every war should end at the negotiating table and not the battlefield, the Thai government should not be a direct party engaged in talks with insurgents, Thaksin said. Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was willing to share any information gathered by the Democrats to help the government shed light on the so-called "secret" talks. Abhisit said the Democrats had been informed via several sources, including the Malaysian authorities, that Thai officials had had a number of meetings with insurgents. He said the idea to form a special administrative zone in Pattani as floated by former PM Chavalit Yongchaiyudh should be viewed with caution. In past elections, the idea was billed as a campaign pledge, but none of the candidates were elected on such a platform, he said, claiming local residents had already rejected the formation of a special administrative zone. In regard to designation of insurgency-prone areas, he said the Democrats were willing to work with security authorities in convincing local residents to accept any inconvenience caused by security checks. He urged authorities to step up prevention measures for vehicle theft which was a precursor to car bombs. Chavalit said the continuing southern insurgency was proof the government had failed to come up with a remedy to restore peace in the South. He said the insurgency would persist if the government could not meet the aspirations of local residents. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/No-I-did-not-fugitive-ex-premier-30179595.html |