Security measures have been stepped up in the southern border provinces to prevent violence during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) said on Wednesday.
Col Banpot Poonpien, the Isoc spokesman, was speaking after video conference chaired by Lt Gen Supakorn Sanguanchartsorakrai, deputy army chief-of-staff, on the situation in the deep South during Ramadan.
The holy month began in Thailand on June 18 and ends on July 17.
Region 4 Isoc forward headquarters reported that vigilance against violence had been increased in the southern border provinces.
During the past week there were 11 incidents, but only one was related to the insurgency and four stemmed from personal conflicts. The causes of the six other incidents were still being investigated.
In a search of an area suspected to be an assembly point for militants in tambon Bongo of Rangae district of Narathiwat province the government forces recovered two M16 rifles with 27 rounds of ammunition.
In the investigation into the spate of bombings in Yala Municipality on May 14-16, authorities took 36 suspects in for questioning and released 23 of them. Seven were found to have been involved in the incidents.
Four suspects named in warrants issued under the emergency decree and the Criminal Procedures Code reported to the authorities to join the rehabilitation programme, Col Banpot said.
Arrangements had been made by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre for 6,915 Muslims to go on the annual haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia on 16 chartered flights, four from Narathiwat and 12 from Hat Yai.
New school buildings had been completed to replace the old buildings at six schools in Thung Yang Daeng and Mayo districts of Pattani which had been torched by militants early this year.