The emergency decree in force in most of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces will be extended for another three months, from Dec 20 to March 19.
The extension of the decree was agreed on at a meeting of the Emergency Situation Admnistration Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, on Friday to discuss the situation in the three southernmost border provinces.
The committee agreed to extend the emergency decree in the three border provinces, with the exception of the four districts of Sri Sakhon, Sungai Kolok, Waeng and Sukhirin in Narathiwat, three districts of Yaring, Mai Kaen and Mae Lan in Pattani, and two districts of Betong and Kabang in Yala.
Gen Prawit instructed the Internal Security Operations Command to efficiently enforce the emergency decree, be more careful of human rights violations during operations and carefully look into further removing areas that pass evaluation from the ambit of the emergency decree.
He also asked security authorities to accelerate the investigation into and arrest of those involved in the car bombing of police flats in Narathiwat that killed one officer and injured 45 other people, the majority of them civilians.