KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4– Malaysia said today it is ready to facilitate should there be any request for fresh dialogue between Majlis Syura Patani (Mara Patani) and the Government of Thailand in the effort to bring peace to restive southern Thailand.

Malaysia’s facilitator, former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor, said Kuala Lumpur was in a ‘wait-and-see’ phase for developments following the decision of the Mara Patani dialogue panel to suspend all dialogue with the Thai government.

"This is a domestic issue. When one side makes an inquiry or seeks development on the other side, we will facilitate. If not, we will be silent, wait and see if there is any development.

"There must be a request from either side for negotiations (to be held). We cannot arrange anything unless there is a request. We just facilitate,” he told Bernama when asked to comment on the decision of the Mara Patani dialogue panel.

Mara Patani represents several groups in southern Thailand.

The head of the Mara Patani dialogue panel, Shukri Hari, reportedly said that the decision to suspend talks until after the conclusion of Thailand’s general election in March followed the group’s disappointment with the attitude of the head of the Thailand peace panel, Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat.

He said Mara Patani and the Thailand dialogue teams arrived in Kuala Lumpur on February 2 for the introductory meeting but Mara Patani was informed that Gen Udomchai would not attend the meeting and would only meet him personally and separately.

He said Mara Patani also called on the Thai government to replace Gen Udomchai in order to find a solution to the long-running conflict in southern Thailand.

The introductory meeting, which was to have been held yesterday, was arranged by Abdul Rahim who was appointed as the facilitator by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Since it erupted in 2004, the conflict in the four southern Thailand provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla have claimed more than 6,500 lives. — Bernama