The government will hold a second round of talks with the opposition Democrat Party to discuss the southern strife, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said yesterday.
The talks will be a follow up to the meeting between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, and military chiefs on Sept 18. Mr Chalerm will call the meeting at the end of the month.
Mr Chalerm said he would invite Democrat MP for Songkhla Thaworn Senneam, who is familiar with the deep South, and Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, leader of the Matubhum Party, to join the meeting.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said yesterday that authorities from the Internal Security Operation Command and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre would tell southern villagers not to be intimidated by flyers warning them off Friday trading.
Leaflets were distributed in several areas in the South last week, ordering businesses to stop operating on Fridays, when Muslims hold weekly prayers.
Many traders were scared by the threat and opted to close their shops on Friday.
The threat was aimed at creating the impression the government was failing to keep people safe, Gen Yutthasak said. Authorities would tell the vendors they were safe to trade as usual, he added.
Meanwhile, one man was killed and two other people wounded in separate incidents in Pattani late on Sunday night and early yesterday. In the first incident d at 11.20pm on Sunday in Thung Yang Daeng district, Liki Kuno, 20, was shot dead by assailants with a handgun while on his way home from a tea shop to his house in tambon Phithen.
In Nong Chik district, a group of armed men opened fire at Wae-useng Ngaeyeng, 35, while he was driving home in tambon Polo Puyo. Mr Wae-useng was wounded in the attack at 2.10am yesterday.In the other incident, at 5.40am, Wilaiwan Sansara, 50, a road cleaner in tambon Panare in Panare district was shot and wounded while sweeping a road.