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BANGKOK, Feb. 9 (AP) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday his government is committed to helping Thailand resolve a Muslim insurgency in its southernmost tip but does not condone the use of violence to end the conflict.
Anwar made the remarks after meeting with Thai President Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok. It was Anwar’s first visit to his country’s northern neighbor since taking office last November. He has previously met with the leaders of Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore.
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Their talks covered a range of economic and security issues, but the overarching issue of mutual concern was the Muslim separatist insurgency in Thailand’s southern hinterland, which has claimed about 7,000 civilians, soldiers, government workers and insurgents since erupting in 2004 s life.
Fighting in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces, the only ones with a Muslim majority, has been intermittent but brutal, with separatists carrying out drive-by shootings and bombings and the government accused of torturing suspects and other abuses.
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Muslims in southern Thailand – whose race, culture and language differ from most Buddhists – feel they are treated as second-class citizens and enjoy sympathy from many Malaysians, about 60 percent of whom are Muslim.
Malaysia hosted and facilitated peace talks between the separatist group and the Thai government, but little progress has been made. Anwar has expressed particular interest in these efforts and has appointed a former senior Malaysian general as chief coordinator.
Anwar told reporters after meeting Prayuth that his country was committed to assisting Thailand in finding a solution to the violence in the south.
“Unfortunately, because these skirmishes have resulted in a lot of tension, a certain resentment and distrust, we have to appeal to all the forces in Thailand, the South and even Malaysia to understand and understand that peace has to be the most important, foremost consideration ,”He said.
“I come here with a very clear, clear message that the Malaysian government will not tolerate any form of violence to resolve any conflict,” Anwar said.
“We will exercise our right as friends … to voice our concerns, our legitimate concerns, while acknowledging that southern Thailand is purely an internal Thai issue. But it is our responsibility as good neighbors and family to do everything we can to facilitate this process. “
Referring to what he called a “trust deficit” between southern Thailand’s Muslims and Thai authorities, Anwar said he felt it was his responsibility to ensure their religious, cultural and language concerns were addressed. He added that Prayuth agreed with the importance of economic development in the region.
Anwar also said the two leaders discussed “more contentious issues” in Myanmar, where violence continues after the military seizes power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in 2021.
He called on Thailand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to come up with feasible actions to ease, if not resolve, the crisis as it has repercussions across the region.
“The two leaders also had the opportunity to exchange views on current international and regional challenges and expressed satisfaction with the long-standing friendly relationship between Thailand and Malaysia,” Thailand said in a statement about the meeting.
“They reaffirmed their commitment to further deepen bilateral cooperation and collaboration at all levels, and seek new cooperation for the Thailand-Malaysia border area to become a golden land of peace and prosperity.”
It said the two leaders had set a target of $30 billion in bilateral trade by 2025, in part to strengthen links between special economic zones in Thailand’s southernmost province and northern states in Malaysia.
These areas are designed to foster development through industrial and agricultural projects supported by infrastructure improvements. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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