Muslim separatists in Thailand’s Deep South agreed in principle to an “improved” peace plan with the government on Feb. 7. The agreement, facilitated by Malaysia, follows years of abortive talks. The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), 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 between government forces and separatists in the country’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, whose populations are overwhelmingly Malay Muslim. (TNH)
See our last reports on human rights abuses associated with Thailand’s southern insurgency.
Map: Wikipedia
Malaysia court declares sharia laws unconstitutional
A Malaysian federal court declared several Kelantan state sharia laws to be unconstitutional in a judgement on Feb. 9. The decision related to offenses such as “sodomy” and use of intoxicating substances. Malaysia’s constitution allows states to enact laws under sharia applying to Muslims, in a dual system with the general statutory law, as long as they conform to constitutional guarantees. (Jurist) The ruling may have implications for an autonomy deal in Thailand’s adjoining Deep South.