- Malaysian mediators announced Wednesday that the Thai government and Islamic separatist rebels in southern Thailand have reached an agreement to end the conflict.
- The talks will take place over two days in Kuala Lumpur and will resume over the next two months to finalize details of the peace plan.
- The breakthrough comes after a year-long stall in dialogue due to Thailand’s general election, with both parties now indicating their intention to sign the document.
Malaysia’s caretakers announced Wednesday that the Thai government and Islamic separatist rebels in southern Thailand have agreed in principle on a roadmap to end the decades-long Muslim insurgency.
Malaysian facilitator Zulkifli Zainal Abidin said the two sides held two days of talks in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and planned to meet again in the next two months to work out the details of the peace plan.
“This is a major development after dialogue stalled last year due to Thailand’s elections,” he told a news conference.
Balcony at Thai resort collapses during group photo shoot and video show
“If the technical team agrees,[the peace plan]will be signed as soon as possible. … There is light at the end of the tunnel. Both sides are ready to put pen to paper. Previously, there were no talks about an agreement. There was no need to sign any documents. ”
Zulkifli Zainal Abidin (center), Malaysian facilitator of peace negotiations in southern Thailand, Chachai Bansho (left) from Thailand’s southern border province, and Ustaz Anas Abdul Rahman from Barisan Revolutionary National Melayu Patani. He is pictured after a press conference at a hotel in Malaysia. February 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Vincent Tian)
Malaysia has hosted and facilitated talks between separatist groups and the Thai government since 2013, but little progress has been made.
Since 2004, about 7,000 people have been killed in rebellions in Thailand’s only three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces. Fighting has been intermittent but brutal, with separatists carrying out vehicle shooting and bombings, and the government accused of torturing suspects. and other abuses.
Thai court orders suspension of Forward Party’s advocacy efforts calling for changes to royal defamation laws
Muslims in southern Thailand, who are ethnically, culturally and linguistically distinct from the Buddhist majority, say they are treated as second-class citizens, a sentiment that resonates with many Malaysians, about 60% of whom are Muslim. I believe that
Anas Abdulrahman, head of the Barisan Revolutionary State, southern Thailand’s largest armed group, told reporters he had high hopes for a lasting solution under Thailand’s new government led by Prime Minister Sureta Thaveesin. . Last year, the Thai government appointed Chachai Vantuad, the first private citizen to lead the talks.
Chachai said signing the peace plan would depend on the outcome of technical talks.
