PASIR MAS, Aug 3 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated that the Malaysian government wants to help expedite the Peace Dialogue Process in Southern Thailand.
He said that Malaysia will commit to providing whatever is needed by Thailand, whether in terms of the economy, security or education.
"The issue of the peace negotiations in Southern Thailand is not a Malaysian issue but a domestic issue for Thailand. The good relations between Malaysia and Thailand have led them to seek our cooperation.
"We leave the proposal to Thailand; we are just facilitators, meaning we are merely catalysts. What is important here is that the leadership of the Thai and Malaysian governments wants to help expedite the peace process," he said.
He said this at a press conference at the Pasir Mas Land and District Office here today in conjunction with his working visit to Rantau Panjang and Sg Golok, which included a meeting with his Thai counterpart, Srettha Thavisin.
Malaysia is the facilitator for the peace negotiation process to end the decades-long conflict that escalated in January 2004 in the southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla.
Former National Security Council director-general Mohd Rabin Basir was appointed as the new chief facilitator of the Malaysian government for the Southern Thailand Peace Dialogue Process effective July 1.
Negotiations between the government and insurgent groups began in 2013 but halted following a military coup in Thailand a year later. The talks resumed without involving the main parties, including the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN).
On February 22 last year, the Royal Thai Government's Peace Dialogue Panel and the BRN agreed to form the Joint Comprehensive Cooperation Plan for Peace as a roadmap for 2023-2024 to find a solution towards ending the armed conflict in Southern Thailand.
Meanwhile, Anwar said government will expedite sufficient financial allocations to address the flood issue in Rantau Panjang caused by the Sungai Golok estuary.
He said the funds would be used for dredging and cleaning Sungai Golok, a solution that was also agreed upon by Srettha, as similar problems are occurring in southern Thailand.
Anwar noted that flooding in Rantau Panjang and Narathiwat, Thailand, are among long-standing issues in both areas.
“One of the causes of the flooding is poor management of the river (Sungai Golok), which has not been cleaned or dredged at the river mouth. Part of the land belongs to Malaysia, and part belongs to Thailand.
“I told the Thai prime minister (Srettha) that unless the river mouth is dredged, water overflow will continue to affect Kelantan and Narathiwat... and we have seen this problem persist year after year,” he said.
— Bernama
