Formal peace talk between the Thai government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasionale (BRN) separatist organization is due to start this week in Malaysia following the signing of the historic peace dialogue process agreement in Kuala Lumpur on February 28.

As the country is gripped by election fever with political parties trumpeting their own brands of populist policies and blueprint to deal with insurgency problem and to restore peace in the far South, a handful of community leaders have recently shared their views on the unrest and on the politicians themselves with a team of reporters from Isra news agency.

Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre secretary-general Pol Col Thawee Sodsong and Hassan Taib, chief negotiator of the peace talks of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) have been named "Persons of the Year" by the Isra news centre.

The newly-appointed national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda, is no stranger to the southern unrest problem and to separatist groups in the restive region.

The National Police Office has ordered the setting up of a fact-finding committee to verify the authenticity of six images on the social media portraying what were claimed to be parts of an accounting book detailing the amounts of bribe paid to a host of officials of different agencies by southern oil smugglers.