Yala’s Betong and Than To districts will be the first two to be declared peace zones because they are less violent than the others, he said.

Armed forces will be deployed in those areas to protect the public, he said.
Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura said the pilot scheme would begin in Betong district in August with armed forces and development volunteers deployed to protect and develop the district.

“We will begin with Betong because there is less violence in the district and volunteers will be able to control the situation,” he said.

The authorities will gradually add other, less violent, areas to the project and encourage local residents to cooperate with officials to install peace in the predominantly Muslim region, where more than 800 people have been killed since the beginning of last year. The government believes Islamic separatists are behind the daily violence.

“The peace zones are areas we can fully control, so if anyone causes trouble in those areas we can simply get rid of them,” Thamarak said.

The initiative was discussed yesterday during a meeting of relevant security agencies in charge of the South.

After the meeting, Chidchai said the frequency of violence in the region had declined in the last month but the damage was still substantial.

He instructed security officials to be in a “proactive mode” when dealing with the situation.

Thamarak said proactive mode meant security forces must adjust their tactics by breaking into smaller units so they can move as quickly as the militants.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra asked the media not to worsen the problem by speculating on the violence. He said the publication of unconfirmed “intelligence reports” by many media could create
fear among local residents and tourists.

“Tourism in the South has died since tourists dare not go to the region, so the media should help [restore the region]. I have no problem if you report what really happens, but speculation could cause the public to panic,” he said.