BANGKOK, 29 April 2012 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has admitted that the government’s work to resolve the Southern unrest still lacks unity. The premier has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Yuthasak Sasiprapa to follow up on the establishment of a strategic steering committee responsible for the deep South.
PM Yingluck traveled to Pattani province on Sunday and received a briefing on the situation in the three Southernmost provinces. The premier said from now on all relevant government units would be more unified and working in the same direction in tackling the Southern conflict. The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center and the Internal Security Operations Command will apply advanced technology to suppress crime in the region while police will help providing security in city areas.
The prime minister also stressed on the government’s deep South policy focusing on public participation and the role of religious leaders. She added that the government would continue to help generate income for the locals in line with the Sufficiency Economy concept and promote peace based on the principle of equal treatment. The premier said she had assigned Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and the commerce minister to meet with the private sector to look for measures to help develop the Southernmost provinces.
