Thai, Malaysian leaders move to restart talks to end Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand
Aim is to end insurgency in Thailand's south, with negotiations high on both countries' agenda
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak, yesterday discussed prospects for restarting stalled peace talks aimed at ending southern Thailand's deadly Muslim insurgency, officials said.
Prayuth arrived in Malaysia yesterday morning for the several-hour visit, his first to Thailand's southern neighbour since the former military chief seized power in a May coup.
His regime has indicated it favours re-starting the Malaysia-hosted peace talks between Thailand and Muslim rebels that began under the previous Thai government that was led by Yingluck Shinawatra.
The visit by Prayuth, who was named prime minister in August, was mainly intended as a formal introduction to Thailand's neighbour, said a Malaysian official who spoke on condition of anonymity. But the official said the two leaders also discussed the peace talks, saying they were "high on the agenda".
The meeting was a first step in what is expected to be a lengthy process toward re-engaging with the shadowy insurgent groups, said the official.
Last year's dialogue in Malaysia made little headway and eventually collapsed as Yingluck's government became engulfed by a political crisis that ultimately led to the coup.