Thai insurgents 'call ceasefire'

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict

A spokesman claiming to represent all the main insurgent groups in Thailand has announced a unilateral ceasefire.

It is the first time such an offer has been made since the separatist conflict - in which 3,000 people have died - flared up four-and-a-half years ago.

However, the militants behind the insurgency in the south of the country rarely make public statements.

As such, it is impossible to know how much influence the spokesman has over the groups that carry out attacks.

No concessions?

In more than four years of brutal warfare, it has been impossible to put a face to the shadowy insurgency in southern Thailand, which aims to create a separate state in the south.

Every month, bombs are detonated, gunmen open fire from passing motorbikes and some victims are beheaded, but no-one admits responsibility.

Yet on Thursday, on Thai television a man claiming to represent 11 insurgent groups announced an immediate ceasefire.

It is unclear whether the attacks will now stop

Speaking in Malay, the language used by the Muslim majority in the south, he said military and political units in the insurgency would stop their activities and that anyone who continued the armed struggle would be considered a criminal.

A retired general who was once defence minister and commander of the Thai army said he had been in talks with the groups since last year.

However, there is good reason for scepticism over this statement.

Until now the insurgents have been unresponsive to proposals for talks by the Thai government.

Yet here they are apparently offering a ceasefire without winning any concessions in return.

As there are no recognised leaders of this insurgency, it is impossible to know how much influence, if any, this spokesman has over the fragmented militant units that carry out the attacks.

The only way to be sure is if the attacks stop - and even in the past 24 hours there have been several more bombings in southern Thailand.