IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Thailand

Muslim rebels call for revived talks

A new umbrella group of Muslim rebels who are waging a bloody insurgency in southern Thailand called for a resumption of stalled peace talks on Thursday, but it was unclear whether the Thai military junta would recognize them. Representatives of Mara Pattani, which claims to speak for six of the insurgency's leading rebel organizations, said they met Thai officials during exploratory talks in Malaysia this week.