The Thai government and an extremist group operating in southern Thailand have agreed to begin peaceful dialogue.
The agreement was signed by Thai security chiefs and the leaders of the opposition National Revolutionary Front after a meeting in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The Thai South has been the breeding ground for mainly Muslim extremist groups of all sorts over the past century.
There has been a steady rise in extremism since 2004. At least 5,000 people have been killed in violent clashes in the south in the past 7 years.
This story first appeared on Voice of Russia & is reposted here with permission.