Thai policemen patrolling (Source: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – The Emergency Situation Administration Committee(ESAC) of Thailand has decided to extend the state of emergency in the restivesouthern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat for another threemonths from December 20 for security reasons.
Maj Gen Patchasak Patirupanont, a spokesman for Deputy PrimeMinister Prawit Wongsuwon, said on December 14 that a meeting of the ESAC,chaired by Prawit, agreed with a proposal of the Internal Security OperationsCommand (ISOC) Region 4 to extend the decree in the three provinces.
This was necessary on the grounds that the insurgents stillhad the potential to carry out violent operations in the region and amid signsthey may resort to violence in various ways, Patchasak said.
The only districts free of restrictions are Mae Lan inPattani, Betong in Yala, and Sungai Kolok, Sukhirin and Si Sakhon inNarathiwat. The state of emergency will continue everywhere else in the threeprovinces until March 30./.
VNA
