Muslim separatists in Thailand's Deep South agreed in principle [8] to an "improved" peace plan with the government on Feb. 7. The agreement, facilitated by Malaysia, follows years of abortive talks [9]. The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN [10]), the main separatist organization, announced a unilateral ceasefire in 2020 in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, facilitating a new round of negotiations on greater autonomy for the region. More than 7,000 people have been killed in 20 years of intermittent fighting [11] between government forces and separatists in the country's three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, whose populations are overwhelmingly Malay Muslim. (TNH [14])
See our last reports on human rights abuses [15] associated with Thailand's southern insurgency [16].
