Malaysia, July 29, 2026 – The Patani National Revolutionary Front (BRN) regrets the decision by the chair of the Thai Government Dialogue Panel, announced through the media on July 28, 2026. The chair of the Thai Government Dialogue Panel announced the decision to postpone the dialogue until September 2026, citing the attack in Narathiwat last week as the reason.
The BRN Negotiation Secretariat also responded to the question, “Why did they initiate the violent incident?” According to the BRN Negotiation Secretariat, “the incident was not a baseless or reckless act, as is often portrayed by the Thai military and government.”
“We would like to state that the actions of the BRN fighters were merely a response to the conduct of the Thai military during its operations. The BRN fighters view the attitude and behavior of the Thai military during its operations—such as sieges, forced detentions, and human rights violations against the people of Patani—as unacceptable.”
Therefore, we must also state that “under the circumstances described above, BRN fighters have a moral responsibility to defend and protect our people; of course, we have legitimate rights to defend ourselves, to preserve our lives, our dignity, and the honor of our nation.”
Read More: BRN States That the Conflict Is Still Ongoing: Peace Negotiations Are the Path to Resolution
“Security must not be interpreted as an unconditional surrender on our part while the authorities continue to perpetrate violence throughout the land of Patani,” emphasized the BRN Dialogue Secretariat.
BRN Disappointed by the Postponement
BRN also expressed its disappointment over the decision to postpone the resumption of negotiations until September 2026 and beyond, especially since the rationale—citing the Narathiwat incident—is highly inappropriate.
“In fact, the political will that has been demonstrated so far must continue to be strengthened despite incidents such as the one in Narathiwat; indeed, as incidents increase, the negotiations need to be strengthened and taken more seriously, because dialogue serves as a space for communication between the two sides to reduce incidents and even find a solution to resolve them.”
We at the BRN firmly believe that a robust and resilient peace process should be able to address and resolve issues on the ground, rather than being halted every time an obstacle arises.
BRN Disappointed by the Postponement
The BRN also expressed its disappointment over the decision to postpone the continuation of negotiations until September 2026, especially since the rationale—citing the Narathiwat incident—is highly inappropriate.
“In fact, the political will that has been demonstrated so far must continue to be strengthened despite incidents like the one in Narathiwat; indeed, as incidents increase, negotiations need to be strengthened and taken more seriously, because dialogue serves as a space for communication between both parties to reduce incidents and even find a solution to resolve them.”
We at the BRN firmly believe that a strong and resilient peace process should prioritize efforts to resolve issues on the ground, rather than being
“This unilateral suspension merely demonstrates that Thailand’s commitment to finding a sincere resolution is not yet strong,” said a spokesperson for the BRN Dialogue delegation.
Checkpoints in Residential Areas
The BRN also protested the establishment of checkpoints and military bases within residential areas. This action amounts to using local residents as “human shields” in the midst of the conflict zone. Naturally, in order to comply with humanitarian principles, human rights, and international law, these posts must be immediately relocated to areas far from civilian settlements to minimize the risk of civilian casualties resulting from the fighting.
“To that end, the BRN Peace Negotiations Secretariat, with the full support of all factions of the struggle, is constantly striving to find a dignified solution at the negotiating table.”
We are strongly committed to the Security Dialogue Process. However, we demand that these negotiations be conducted based on the principles of fairness, honesty, and mutual respect. Dialogue should not be used merely as a tactic to waste time while no real change occurs in Patani.
Finally, the BRN calls for a return to the negotiating table, because dialogue is the path to finding solutions and reaching mutual agreements. As the people of Patani, we naturally seek justice, sovereignty over the governance of Patani, and we aim to achieve justice and prosperity for the people of Patani.”
