Thailand's troubled Deep South makes another bid for peace

History of hate and bitterness is a major obstacle for doves to overcome

20211223 Thailand Yala province security patrol

Thai security forces patrol in the troubled southern province of Yala. The government and the largest rebel group in the south, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, are expected to resume face-to-face peace talks in January. © Reuters

MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR, Asia regional correspondent

December 23, 2021 15:04 JST

BANGKOK -- After a lapse of nearly two years, negotiators from both sides of an ethnic conflict that revived in southern Thailand 20 years ago will meet in Kuala Lumpur next month to breathe life into the search for a peace that has been elusive due to massive mutual distrust.

The talks in the Malaysian capital between Gen. Wanlop Rugsanaoh, Thailand's chief negotiator, and Anas Abdulrahman for Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the largest rebel group in southern Thailand, follow a respite in the spread of COVID-19, which stalled face-to-face encounters.