Thailand: Government to hold peace talks with Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebel group
Thailand’s government agreed on Thursday to start talks with a major Muslim rebel group, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a worsening conflict in the country’s south that has claimed over 5,000 lives since 2004.
The agreement, signed in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur by senior Thai security officials and members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group, opens the way for the first formal peace talks with rebels seeking autonomy or even a separate state in the south.
The officials gave no details on whether the deal to launch a “dialogue process” would be accompanied by a ceasefire, following an upsurge in violence there in recent months. There was also no immediate word on when any peace talks would be held.