THAILAND'S government will hold peace talks with a Muslim rebel group for the first time next month, marking a breakthrough in efforts to end a conflict in the country's south that has claimed more than 5000 lives.
Senior Thai officials and members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group signed the agreement for the talks in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
However, there was no immediate word whether it would be accompanied by a ceasefire, following an upsurge in violence in southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia, in recent months.
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