Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang speaks at a press briefing following a visit to the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters on October 11. (Photo: bangkokpost.com) Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin has announced that the emergency decree imposed in the deep South will be extended by another three months but it will be lifted in six districts and reinstated in one.
Speaking after chairing the decree administration panel meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the panel decided to renew the decree for another three months from October 20, when the law expires, after reviewing the security situation in the deep South. The decision will be brought to the cabinet meeting for approval on October 16 before taking effect.
Somsak said the Interior Ministry's officials had conducted a survey to gauge the views of residents and gathered input from the National Security Council and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre before deciding whether to extend the decree.
Statistics showed that from 2007 to the present, violence from the insurgency in the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla has generally eased. In some years, the violent incidents peaked at 100 on average per year, although the number had dropped to 70 on average per year during the pandemic. Although the incidents may increase this year, the authorities have estimated that the number will not exceed 100 for the entire year.
Somsak said that in the renewed coverage, the decree would be lifted in three districts - Krong Pinang in Yala, Thung Yang Daeng in Pattani and Yi-ngo in Narathiwat - and replaced by the National Security Act. Also, the panel has decided to reinstate the decree in Sri Sakhon district of Narathiwat, where the unrest has shown signs of resurgence in the past five years./.
