By Xinhua,
Bangkok : Thailand’s weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday decided to set up a special cabinet council in an attempt to deal with the insurgent violence in some southern provinces of the country.
Thailand’s restive far South mainly comprises the southernmost provinces — Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and some parts of Songkla province.
The new cabinet council will be chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and is comprised of 16 cabinet members and two representatives of the National Economic and Social Development Board and the Budget Bureau.
Abhisit will lead the special cabinet council for the deep South to visit Yala on Saturday and to solve some problems over there, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam was quoted by The Nation newspaper website as saying.
Insurgent violence has killed over 3,500 people in the deep South since 2004. Among the victims were local officials, police, soldiers and unarmed civilians.