Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat on Thursday morning led a group of news reporters and commentators to the South, saying he would show them the real situation and conditions in border provinces plagued by the insurgency.
ACM Sukumpol was accompanied by Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Prasopdee and Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanich.
In Yala, they were to attend an exhibition on the operations of the separatist group Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) Coordinated and get a briefing from Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasaroraj, the 4th Army commander and director of the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command.
ACM Sukumpol said he wanted reporters to see how security forces perform their duty and the real conditions in troubled areas so they can report the situation more accurately.