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BRN demands governing rights over three southern Thai provinces
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Conflict & Security

BRN demands governing rights over three southern Thai provinces

From Utusan Malaysia · () Malay

Translated from Malay and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The BRN is seeking broad self-government for Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala as a single region, while ruling out absolute power or independence.
  • BRN negotiator Nikmatullah Seri proposed an elected administrator, a shura council and a separate Sharia judicial system.
  • He criticized the distribution of natural-resource wealth, while Thailand said Malaysia should remain the main facilitator of peace talks.

The largest separatist group in southern Thailand wants Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala to become a single self-governing region, but it says it is not seeking independence or absolute power.

The Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, or BRN, is proposing a power-sharing system for the three conflict-affected provinces. Its negotiating team spokesman, Dr. Nikmatullah Seri, said the model would include three authorities: a wali al-amri, or administrator, a shura council and a Sharia judicial system.

The administrator would be elected by residents and would have to come from one of the three provinces, be Malay and be Muslim. Members of the shura council, described as a legislative body, would also be chosen by voters. “This is not an empty dream, but we will establish a system of government that is just and brings prosperity and peace to the region,” Nikmatullah told Utusan Malaysia.

This is not an empty dream, but we will establish a system of government that is just and brings prosperity and peace to the region.

— Nikmatullah SeriThe BRN negotiator described the group’s proposed self-government model.

He also challenged the distribution of Pattani’s natural-resource wealth, particularly gas. Thailand and Malaysia each receive 50% of the gas extracted from the area under a 1979 agreement, he said, while the three provinces receive little or nothing. Nikmatullah said local communities did not fairly benefit from gas, oil, gold, minerals and agricultural resources.

He said the agreement is due to expire in 2029 and argued that Pattani residents must participate in decisions over resource distribution. The BRN’s stated goal, he said, is to improve living conditions and build a more prosperous and peaceful future.

Thailand continues to view Malaysia as necessary to restart the Southern Thailand Peace Dialogue and bring Thai government and BRN representatives back to negotiations. Thanut Suvarnananda, head of the Thai government’s peace dialogue panel, said talks should continue in Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysia facilitating the process because of the two countries’ historical and cultural ties.

What do the people of Pattani get?

— Nikmatullah SeriHe questioned the benefits local communities receive from the gas-sharing arrangement.
About this summary

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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