BANGKOK -- The dominant insurgent faction behind the protracted Malay-Muslim separatist conflict in southern Thailand has disavowed a Malaysian-led peace process, indicating that a quick end to the 11-year-old insurgency remains remote.
Armed soldiers are a common sight on the streets of Thailand's deep south. In a rare and exclusive interview with the Nikkei Asian Review, representatives of the secretive Barisan Revolusi Nasional, or National Revolutionary Front, said that their organization was not involved in talks facilitated by the Malaysian government and viewed them as a "negative phenomenon".
