KING-OUA LAOHONG
Three Muslim men claiming to be leaders of separatist insurgent groups in the far South announce a ceasefire in a video made in Germany and screened on Channel 5.Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda has refused to give credence to the surprise ceasefire announcement by three Muslim men claiming to control 11 insurgent groups operating in the restive southern border provinces.
Gen Anupong said yesterday the group had talked to Gen Chettha Thanajaro, the leader of coalition party Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, rather than going to the proper state authorities.
He refused to accept that the men had the power to control southern insurgency groups.
In a pre-recorded video broadcast by army-run Channel 5 television station yesterday at noon, three unnamed Muslim men claiming to have 11 insurgent groups in their charge said they had stopped attacks in the three southernmost provinces.
Speaking through a translator (right in picture), one of the men (left) said they had ceased their violence without condition from last Monday at noon and would support the peace process.
They called their group Thailand United Southern Underground (TUSU).
Channel 5 broadcast the announcement at the request of Gen Chettha, who is a former army chief.
The clip was also broadcast via satellite to 150 countries worldwide.
Gen Anupong said the announcement took the army and Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej by surprise.
His staff only managed to identify the leader of the men in the video clip as Madipeng Khan, who led an active insurgent group in the three southernmost provinces from 1984 to 1987, Gen Anupong said.
The man had tried to make himself the leader of other insurgent groups in the region, but failed to win their respect and cooperation, he said.
Army spokesman Col Akara Thiprote said Gen Chettha had not told the Fourth Army, which is in charge of southern security, of his negotiations with the Muslim groups.
Col Akara said Fourth Army chief Lt-Gen Wirot Buacharoon regarded the ceasefire announcement as the work of a civic group led by Gen Chettha.
sceptical – having doubts about something that other people think is true or right ที่น่าสงสัย
forswear – to agree to give up something or to stop doing something สาบานว่าจะไม่ทำ
insurgent - of a group of people fighting to take control of their country by force การจราจล การก่อจราจล
give credence – to believe that something is true ให้การยอมรับ
restive – not willing to be patient and becoming increasingly difficult to control หัวแข็ง ดื้อรั้น
coalition party – a political party that has joined with one or more other parties to form a government พรรคร่วมรัฐบาล
in their charge – under their control ภายใต้การควบคุม
via – through ผ่าน โดยวิธี
civic group – a group of private citizens, i.e., a non-government group กลุ่มพลเรือน
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