THAI FOREIGN MINISTRY NOT AWARE OF TALKS IN JAKARTA BY D. ARUL RAJOO

BANGKOK, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The Thai Foreign Ministry Monday said it was
not aware of any talks with southern separatist groups held over the weekend in
Jakarta.

Its spokesman Tharit Jarungwat said they only came to know about the
reported talks through media, adding that no government officials were involved
in the meeting that took place at the presidential palace in Bogor, about 60
kilometres south of Jakarta and was mediated by Indonesian Vice President Jusuf
Kalla.

"I don't have that information and I didn't get any report about that,"
Tharit told reporters when asked to comment on the talks between separatist
groups and the Thai representatives led by former Fourth Army Region Commander
General Kwanchart, who was a military advisor to previous prime minister Samak
Sundaravej.

Indonesia's Antara News Agency quoted presidential spokesman Dino Patti
Djalal as saying that the Indonesian Government would keep promoting peace in
southern Thailand through its position as a facilitator for talks between the
government and the separatist groups in the region.

"The first meeting between the two sides had concluded and produced some
progress. They agreed to exercise restraint to avoid any incidences that would
undermine this peace process. They agreed not to commit any violence," Dino
said.

The two sides had also agreed to hold a second round of talks on November 1
and 2, with a third round in the middle of November, also in Bogor.

According to the report, Kalla was the driving force behind the 2005 Aceh
peace agreement that ended three decades of conflict with separatists on the tip
of Sumatra.

More than 3,300 people have died since January 2004 when separatists
resumed
their campaign to seek independence for the Muslim-majority Malay speaking
provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Tharit also said it was unlikely the Thai side was represented by high
level representatives as the current government was busy forming the new
government
following the appointment of Somchai Wongsawat as new prime minister last week,
succeeding Samak.

"The south conflict is our internal problem. Our neighbours support our
policy to solve the problem and they have also offered their cooperation to
assist us," he said.

According to Thai government officials, Samak brought the issue of
southern
unrest with Kalla during his official visit to Indonesia several months ago.

"It's believed there are several separatists staying in Acheh. So Samak
thought of asking Indonesia's help to approach them," one official said.


Similar talks were held in Jakarta in April involving some key figures of
the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) and BRN Coordinate, the two
biggest separatist groups involved in the conflict.

Talks were also held in Geneva and Jeddah last year but did not involve any
high ranking Thai officials, but more of academicians who are trying to bring
the two sides to the negotiation table.

In the restive region, violence continued unabated when a 38-year-old
Buddhist man and his 17-year-old son were shot dead by suspected militants in Si
Sakhon district, Narathiwat this morning.