(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Thai and Malaysian premiers agreed that stalled talks on ending southern Thailand's deadly Muslim insurrection could only resume once all rebel attacks cease and its various insurgent groups come to the table as one.
The conditions spelled out by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, agreed in a meeting with hardline new Thai leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, appeared to cast doubt on any speedy resumption of the peace talks on the bitter and stubborn conflict.
Prayut arrived in Malaysia on Monday for a one-day visit, his first to Thailand's Muslim-majority southern neighbour since the former military chief seized power in a May coup, with officials saying the stalled peace talks were "high on the agenda".
Speaking to Malaysian media afterwards, Najib said if insurgents halted attacks, Prayut agreed the Thai army's presence could be reduced.
"All parties need to respect the law and the Thailand Prime Minister has agreed that the army could reduce its presence," Najib said.
But a decade-long insurgency that has seen near-daily bombings, shootings and occasional beheadings has spiked anew this year - sparking a renewed Thai security crackdown, with no end in sight. More than 6,100 lives - most civilians - have been lost in the rebellion, where a range of shadowy groups are fighting for a level of autonomy from the Thai state.
Najib conceded the effort "will take time," in comments to Malaysian state news agency Bernama. Malaysia hosted several rounds of peace talks last year between one of the Muslim rebel groups and the previous Thai government led by Yingluck Shinawatra.
But the dialogue made little headway and eventually collapsed as Yingluck's government became engulfed by a political crisis that ultimately led to Prayut's coup.
Najib said all rebel groups must agree together on their demands and "only then can substantial negotiations start."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.