Much of the recent violence in the deep South can be blamed on people trying to derail the peace talks, National Security Council (NSC) chief Paradorn Pattanatabut said Tuesday.
There are many groups of militants operating in the three southernmost provinces, he said. Some of them do not want the talks to succeed as they fear they will lose their anonymity, he said.
Lt Gen Paradorn was responding to questions about the unabated violence in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.
The next round of peace talks between Thai authorities and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) and other separatist groups is scheduled to take place in Malaysia on June 13.
"What is happening shows that many groups of insurgents prefer violence. This matter will be raised for discussion at the meeting," Lt Gen Paradorn said.
The BRN had admitted during informal discussions that it has been unable to convince some of its factions to reduce the level of violence, he said.
On the subject of the recent violence in Pattani's Mae Lan district _ where the emergency decree was replaced by the less severe Internal Security Act (ISA) _ the NSC chief said the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command had told him the situation was under control.
It is unnecessary to reintroduce the emergency law there, he said. The NSC still wants to replace the emergency decree with the ISA in more areas, he added. The current extension of the emergency decree in troubled areas will expire on June 19.
Meanwhile, two security officers and an elderly man were killed yesterday by suspected insurgents, police said.
Pvt 1st Class Ronnawit Singsai, 31, and military ranger Kriangsak Thupphutsa, 31, were killed during a pre-dawn gunfight between a six-man patrol and an unidentified group in Ban Lutong, in Pattani's Mae Lan district.
In Narathiwat, Atsaman Sama, 60, was shot dead while he was tapping rubber in a plantation in Rueso district. Police said he was shot several times by a group of gunmen hiding in the bushes.