Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An end of the attacks at the hands of all the rebel groups involved in the separatist struggle and return to the negotiating table. These are the conditions laid down yesterday by the Malaysian Prime Minister and his Thai counterpart (pictured) for the resumption of peace talks - currently stalled - in southern Thailand, which has been plagued by a separatist insurgency led by Muslim movements .
The face to face talks between Najib Razak and Prayut Chan-O-Cha took place in Kuala Lumpur, during the Thai prime minister's brief one day visit to Malaysia. It was the first visit by the former head of the armed forces since he seized power in Bangkok following a coup.
Following the talks, local political analysts and
experts pointed out that, under these
conditions, peace talks are unlikely to resume "in the
short term" . However, the two leaders confirmed that the situation in southern Thailand,
near the border with Malaysia, is a "priority" for both governments.
In a press conference held at the end of the meeting the Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib said that if the rebels
stop attacks, Bangkok
is willing to "reduce" the army's presence in the
former conflict areas.
In the last year the decades long separatist conflict promoted
by pro-Islamic groups has
resumed with increased intensity registering almost daily
attacks, bombings, shootings and sporadic beheadings. For this the Thai army
has launched a campaign to ensure "security", which has only exacerbated clashes between the
various factions.
The war in southern Thailand has so far caused
at least 6,100 victims,
most of them civilians. Prime Minister
Najib admitted that it "will take time" to achieve any results. Moreover, already last year Malaysia hosted a series
of peace talks between one of the rebel groups fighting the government then in office, led by former
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
These talks stalled with the fall of the executive
and the 'rise
to power of the military, led by Prayut.
The Malaysian Prime Minister says it is essential that all the rebel movements unite and speak with one voice, formalizing their demands, so that serious negotiations can begin with Bangkok. According to experts, so far the divisions within the various movements and the fragmentation of the separatist struggle have undermined all peace efforts.
The Muslim majority in the southern region of Thailand, an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, has never accepted Bangkok's rule: the local population speaks a Malaysian dialect and follow customs and traditions rooted in Muslim culture. Protesting against the visit of Prime Minister Prayut to Malaysia, yesterday dozens of people demonstrated outside the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur, shouting that the former general "illegally" came to power.