NSC condemns petrol station attacks, calls for halt to violence

The National Security Council (NSC) issued a statement today, calling on insurgent groups in the restive Deep South of the country to cease all their acts of violence, pointing out that terrorism cannot be used to legitimate their status or to press their demands.

Several insurgent groups, under the umbrella of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) organisation, have been fighting Thai governments since the revival of the separatist cause, seeking self-rule in the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and some districts in Songkhla province, in 2004.

Peace dialogue between the BRN and the Thai government, facilitated by Malaysian government, has been suspended.

The NSC said in the statement that the bomb and fire attacks on 11 PTT petrol stations in the provinces early this morning have had widespread impacts on the welfare and livelihoods of the people there.

The violent acts have also profoundly disrupted the peaceful co-existence of people of all races and faiths in the region, said the NSC, adding that such acts are a clear indication that the insurgent groups have no legitimacy and are not qualified to claim representation of the people there.

The NSC confirmed that it remains committed to the peace process, adding that the secretariat of its peace-talk panel has sent a message to the BRN, via Malaysia, that it rejects acts of violence, such as those committed today, as they are wholly inconsistent with the peace process and the search for a people-centred peace in the region.