The emergency decree imposed in the deep South will be extended by another three months but it will be lifted in six districts and reinstated in one, according to the decree administration panel which ordered the extension.
The extension was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin, who chaired the panel meeting on Wednesday.
However, before the order can take effect, it will be put to the cabinet meeting for approval on Oct 16.
Mr Somsak said the panel decided to renew the decree for another three months from Oct 20, when the law expires, after reviewing the security situation in the deep South.
Mr Somsak said the Interior Ministry officials had conducted a survey to gauge the views of residents and gathered input from the National Security Council and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre before deciding whether to extend the decree.
Statistics show that from 2007 to the present, violence from the insurgency in the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla has generally eased.
In some years, the violent incidents peaked at 100 on average per year, although the number had dropped to 70 on average per year during the pandemic.
Although the incidents may increase this year, the authorities have estimated that the number will not exceed 100 for the entire year.
Mr Somsak said that in the renewed coverage, the decree would be lifted in three districts -- Krong Pinang in Yala, Thung Yang Daeng in Pattani and Yi-ngo in Narathiwat -- and replaced by the National Security Act. Also, the panel has decided to reinstate the decree in Sri Sakhon district of Narathiwat, where the unrest has shown signs of resurgence in the past five years.
It was reported earlier that Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang was also seeking to extend the emergency decree enforced in the southernmost provinces amid calls by some local communities for the enforcement to be stopped.
According to the defence minister, some Muslim residents have urged the government to scrap the decree, while groups of Buddhist residents called for the decree to be maintained.
Last Friday, the so-called Intellectual Network Council held a conference where it suggested the government cancel the decree, saying the restrictive measures have been extended 73 times, which was enough.