On August 16, Thailand reported that it was holding peace talks with a number of Islamic insurgent groups in the south of the country.

According to Thailand ’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who is responsible for national security, the talks are currently taking place between the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, the government agency in charge of the region and various militant splinter groups.

The talks include discussions with Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK), one of the insurgent groups believed to be behind recent attacks in the south of the country, he said.

Yutthasak went on to say that up to 9,000 insurgents were operating in the southern provinces.

The violent actions of insurgents in Thailand 's far south have been ongoing since 2004 and have claimed thousands of lives./.