Former national army chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the 2006 coup leader, says setting up a semi-autonomous region in the far South is not the answer and would only cause more problems.
The proposal of a self-governing Pattani City is being promoted by .Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is on a tour od the lower South.
Gen Sonthi, a southern-born Muslim, said he had declined Gen's Chavalit invitation to join him on the trip to the southern border provinces because he had previous commitments.
Self-rule is not what the people in the far South want, he said.
"At least 90 per cent of the local leaders, together with the provincial governors and district chiefs, are Muslims, and the current type of administration is already ideal for the region," he said.
All government has to do is to follow His Majesty the King's idea of reaching, understanding and developing people in different areas, Gen Sonthi said.
If a form of self-rule were granted, new conflicts would likely arise, and new divisions. The roughly 20 per cent of non-Muslims in the South would also not agree with this idea, he said.
"I don't believe anyone really agrees with Gen Chavalit's idea," he said.
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