Thailand, Muslim separatists agree on new plan to end violence
Al Jazeera
Talks resume after one year in Malaysia to bring end to conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people since 2004.
Thailand’s government and Muslim separatist rebels in the country’s south have agreed “in principle” on an updated roadmap to try to end decades-long fighting.
Malaysian facilitator Zulkifli Zainal Abidin told reporters on Wednesday that both sides have agreed in principle to an “improved” peace plan.
“It is a major breakthrough after the dialogue was stalled the past year due to the Thai election,” he said.
The sides held two days of talks in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and will meet again over the next two months to iron out details of the plan. They hope to agree to a ceasefire covering the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on March 10, and the Thai festival of Songkran in mid-April.
Malaysia has hosted and facilitated talks between separatist groups and the Thai government since 2013, but little progress has been made.
