Thailand and Malaysia Resume Their Pursuit of Peace in Patani

One of Asia's most opaque and intractable insurgencies appears to be entering a new phase. Separatist militants have killed more than 6,000 people in attacks in Thailand's southernmost provinces, a Malay-speaking, predominately Muslim region known historically as Patani. On Aug. 9, however, Thai National Security Council chief Thawil Pliensri announced that Malaysia-brokered peace talks with insurgents would resume this month. The announcement followed calls Aug. 1 from leaders of the National Revolution Front, or BRN — believed to be the strongest of the myriad militant groups operating in the deep south — to reboot the dialogue. Though the Thai junta may be better positioned than previous governments to negotiate a shift in tactics or a temporary decline in violence, talks will be constrained by familiar underlying issues, particularly if Malaysia does little more than serve as host.