Jakarta - Indonesia is hosting talks between the Thai government and representatives from Thailand`s Muslim south where a four-year separatist insurgency has killed more than 3,000 people, an Indonesian official said on Sunday.
The talks are being mediated by Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla at the presidential palace in Bogor, 50 km (30 miles) south of the capital Jakarta, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said.
He said five representatives from the Thailand`s predominately Muslim deep south and the Buddhist-led government in Bangkok attended the two-day meeting which ended on Sunday.
He did not identify the southerners, but said the Thai government delegation included Kwanchart Klaharn, a former southern army commander and adviser to Thailand`s defence ministry.
"We aim to facilitate them to find a peaceful political solution," Djalal said.
In Bangkok, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said his government was not involved in any talks in Indonesia and it had not asked Jakarta to act as a mediator.
"We did not send any representatives to Indonesia," Tharit said. "Our stance is that the situation in the south is an internal conflict and we will not set up any talks with the militants."
Since the latest violence erupted in Thailand`s four southernmost provinces in 2004, the rebels have never revealed themselves publicly or claimed responsibility for the near daily gun and bomb attacks in the rubber-producing region bordering Malaysia, annexed by Bangkok a century ago.
Over the years, Thai politicians or former army commanders have claimed to be negotiating with the shadowy insurgents. But these efforts have failed to bring peace.
In July, Chettha Thanajaro, a former defence minister and leader of a minor party in Thailand`s coalition government, announced a "ceasefire" with a hitherto unknown umbrella group claiming to represent 11 separatist groups in the region.
Army officials and security experts swiftly dismissed the ceasefire as a publicity stunt and the violence did not stop. Indonesia, the world`s most populous Muslim nation, has experience dealing with separatist conflicts in provinces such as Aceh and Papua.
Vice President Kalla was the mastermind behind the 2005 Aceh peace agreement that ended three decades of conflict with separatists in the staunchly Muslim province on the tip of Sumatra.
The closed-door talks on the Thai insurgency were also attended by Indonesia`s ambassador to Thailand and analysts.
Metro TV reported further talks are expected to be held in Bogor in November.
(Additional reporting by Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat in BANGKOK) (Reporting by Karima Anjani; Editing by Ed Davies and David Fox)
Source: http://www.reuters.com (September 21, 2008)