PATTANI, Dec 11 (Bernama): Peace talks on the situation in southern Thailand, which had been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, will be conducted face to face in Kuala Lumpur next month. Negotiations between representatives of the Thai government - the chief negotiator, General Wanlop Rugsanaoh - and the most influential armed group in southern Thailand, the National Revolutionary Front (BRN), were only held virtually during the pandemic. "With the Covid-19 situation improving, I and the delegation will attend the meeting in Kuala Lumpur," he said. The previous peace talks between the BRN and Thailand were held in Kuala Lumpur in January and early March 2020, which brought hope of ending the violence in southern Thailand. The relentless cycle of violence in southern Thailand began in 2004 in four provinces namely Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkla, which has claimed 7,000 lives to date.

Source: The Star December 11, 2021 23:12 UTC