They said they wanted the government to respond within 15 days or they would protest in Bangkok.

The villagers said they were unhappy living at Wat Nirotsangkaram and that their expenses were rising. However, they were too scared to return home.

Village leader Charan Kliangsriphrom said they would return to their homes "when peace is restored in the region".

"If the government cannot provide us with safety in our homes we want loans for expenses and capital for everyday living. Everybody has expenses such as our children's education," he said.

The Buddhists from three villages in Than To and Bannang Sata districts fled their homes and sought refuge at the temple last month after insurgent violence in the three southernmost provinces escalated.

Villager Thongchai Iamhiran said they would rally in Bangkok if the government did not agree within 15 days to relocate them out of the troubled region. "Buddhists in these three provinces have been neglected for too long," he said.

Government agencies have been encouraging the villagers to leave the temple. Yala governor Theera Mintarasak reported that 54 villagers had returned home.

The province has been providing the villagers with daily necessities.

Security personnel have been assigned to their villages and more were being sent to "sensitive areas" of the province for the coming New Year.

Nakharin  Chinnawornkomol

The Nation

YALA