The governor of Pattani has outlined procedures "Tadika" Islamic schools should follow when hosting activities after several schools conducted events supporting Palestinians.
Governor Pateemoh Sadeeyamu has sent notifications to every district chief regarding guidelines on activities at a time when Islamic schools host their "Tadika Samphan" sports and academic events.
She has instructed every school to submit its planned activities in advance to get the green light from a district cultural committee first. The committee will then propose a school plan to each district's cultural council for approval.
She said the council also has the authority to cancel or postpone an event if it encounters activities that have not received prior approval.
The notification, however, received criticism online as it cited an event on May 5 in Mai Kaen district as an example. The school event included a parade in which some students wore traditional Malay outfits, waved Palestinian flags, and carried mock firearms.
Many thought the notification was in response to this.
Ms Pateemoh said the policy was to ensure a standard process to follow when hosting school activities and not prohibit schools from having content supporting Palestinians.
The notification was issued to provide mutual understanding between the district agency and schools, as school event organisers rely on a budget from the provincial authority for school fairs, she said.