BANGKOK, April 22 – Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung promised today to revoke arrest warrants for those implicated in southern insurgency and charged under the Criminal Code.
He urged southern community and religious leaders to supply the names of those people so that arrest warrants against them will be nullified in seven days.
Mr Chalerm chaired a meeting at Government House on peace process in Thailand’s far South which was attended by more than 400 state officials, civic and religious leaders from five provinces on the Thai-Malaysian border.
He called on community and religious leaders to inform their offspring and relatives who have been served arrest warrants about the government’s gesture of leniency.
The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre will compile the names so that an action to revoke the arrest warrants is taken, he said, adding that they will have to undergo training by the Thai authorities before getting their freedom.
“I assure that everything will end in seven days if I take charge. They don’t need to submit any bond for their freedom,” the deputy premier declared. “Twenty people who recently showed their intention to surrender should be the first batch.”
Mr Chalerm said he will compile public opinions on resolutions to the southern problems until Thursday before submitting a conclusion to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Wadueramae Mamingchi, Pattani Islamic Committee leader, said he was satisfied with results of the meeting and the government’s assurance to deal with the southern problems in a peaceful and straightforward manner.
