NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, 15 March 2015 – The Fourth Army Area Commander Lt Gen Prakarn Cholayut has claimed that growing braveness among the public is resisting determined efforts by others to cause unrest in the far south of Thailand.
He said that increasing numbers of local residents have taken part in a variety of government projects such as the anti-drug campaign, road construction, and the Thung Yang Daeng Model as well as the Kampong Taqwa project, which aim to build a community with a balance between Islamic practices, local culture and laws.
“Over twenty thousand people from villages in thirty seven districts (of the South) protect teachers on their way to the schools.” he added.
The commander further mentioned the ongoing peace talks that the military is promoting, leading to discussions with many groups of people in the south including local residents, while maintaining cooperation with the Malaysian military to bring about successful overall talks.
Another peace initiative called the “Bring People Home” scheme is also successful to some extent. After two years of the project, around a thousand people have reported to authorities and had seen their warrants and summonses revoked. The government is seeking more success with the idea, by appointing village and district headmen and local police as members of the committee in order to boost the confidence of people subject to arrest warrants to show up themselves.
