Thaise moslims krijgen hoop door vredesbesprekingen

Huddled in a room on the periphery of a university campus in the southern Thai province of Pattani, Muslim students debate ideas that have long been considered inflammatory or even treasonous.

An insurgency by shadowy Muslim fighters in predominantly Buddhist Thailand's three southernmost provinces has claimed 5,700 lives since 2004.

Just a few hundred kilometers from tourist beaches, the conflict rarely hits the headlines but the failure to stamp it out is an embarrassment for a country that prides itself on being a developed, international business and travel hub.  There are signs that the government has become more conciliatory since it agreed to hold talks in February with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), a major rebel group.