A secretive armed group engaged in the bloody separatist conflict in southern Thailand has told Al Jazeera that it will not compromise on seeking independence for the largely Muslim area.Speaking to Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen at a location outside Thailand, a senior member of the National Revolutionary Front Co-ordinate (BRN-C) said the group's main aim was "to fight for independence through an armed revolution".
"Our main aim is not war but we are forced into this because without violence Siam (Thailand) will never stop discriminating against the Malay people in the south," he said on condition of anonymity.
At a secret meeting in Narathiwat province he told our correspondent that the group was prepared to fight until its last breath to free Muslims from what he called the colonization of the Thai south. Earlier this week two civilians were killed and a dozen people, including soldiers, were injured in the latest upsurge in violence in the region.
In one attack in Yala province on Tuesday a group of fighters stormed a food shop and killed the 24-year-old owner, while three of his relatives were wounded by gunfire, police said.
Elsewhere in the same province, a 41-year-old woman whom police said worked as a government informant was shot dead.
Despite some 30,000 Thai troops being deployed in the region, the shootings, grenade attacks and car bombings happen almost daily, with 90 per cent of those killed being civilians.In an interview with Al Jazeera Thailand's prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said his government was working to address "past injustices and grievances" as the way to move forward in the region.
"My government has made it a clear policy that the key to peace in the south is justice," he said.
"It may be the aim of the insurgency to demand a separate state, but my government will prove that the people living in the five provinces are treated fairly, that they will have opportunities, and that they are valued by the Thai government."
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
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