US urges action on NRC plan
United States yesterday welcomed the National Reconciliation Commission report on peaceful strategies to end violence in the troubled South, saying it would support the government's prompt response to the findings.
The NRC released the report, "Overcoming Violence through the Power of Reconciliation", on June 5 as a comprehensive set of guidelines on how to contain violence in the region through peaceful means. "We applaud the commission and its chairman former Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun for their efforts to address the violence afflicting southern Thailand," the State Department's website said. "The NRC's distinguished members have worked hard over the past year to find solutions that address both security concerns and issue of injustice," it said. The 15-month-old commission dissolved after the report was completed and submitted to the government. Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose measures to contain violence have heavily relied on military means, said his government would implement the solutions suggested by the NRC as soon as possible. The government assigned the Independent Commission on Justice and Civil Liberties of the Southern Border Provinces (ICJC) to further study the findings. The Army also said it would follow the NRC's guidelines. Muslim communities in the deep South have welcomed the report. However, doubts have been expressed about whether the government has the courage to de-militarise areas which have been subject to regularly deadly attacks. The NRC's proposals include establishing a special "unarmed army" and encouraging dialogue between militants and the authorities to help find a solution to the violence in the predominantly Muslim region. The NRC proposed the passing of the Peaceful Reconciliation in the Southern Border Provinces Act, to ensure long-term peace for the region. The act outlines the establishment three bodies: the Peaceful Strategic Administrative Centre for Southern Border Provinces (PSAC), the Southern Border Provinces Area Development Council and the Fund for Healing and Reconciliation. The PSAC represents the reintroduction of a body equivalent to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre dissolved by Thaksin in 2002. The US statement said it recognised that reconciliation would be a long-term challenge for the Thai people. "We continue to urge a peaceful resolution of this internal issue that balances security with respect for the rules of law and the sanctity of human rights," it said.
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