Violence flare up in southern Thailand cast a shadow on "safety zone" deal

Just 48 hours after the historic agreement to set up a "Safety Zone" in southern Thailand, the volatile region witnessed a flare up of violence which could potentially derail the "breakthtough" achieved.

Five violent incidents in Narathiwat and Pattani yesterday and on Wednesday in Songkla which killed 11 people in total, including the discovery of a vehicle filled with 100kg homemade bomb, has cast a shadow on the agreement.

"MARA Patani reiterates its commitment to resolving the Pattani conflict through peaceful political dialogue and the establishment of safety zones as a step for civilian protection," said its spokesman Dr Abu Hafez Al-Hakim in a statement to Bernama on Thursday.

The umbrella organisation for several militant groups in southern Thailand does not condone violence involving civilians and children and strongly condemned the attack.

Two days ago, after nearly three years of negotiations, the Thai government and MARA Patani reached an agreement on the general framework for the setting up of a Safety Zone, a designated area free from any form of violence.

The agreement, brokered in Malaysia on Tuesday was hailed by observers as historic and significant towards the peaceful settlement on years of conflict, which has left more than 6,000 people dead.

In today's incident at Rusak district in Narathiwat, a family of four, including an eight-year old boy, was gunned down by unidentified assailants while travelling in a pick-up truck to school.

Two others were injured in the incident, which occurred at 7.30 am (local time).

In the latest incident at a night market in Mayo, Pattani, at 8.30 pm (local time) tonight, three security personnel and a bystander were shot dead by a group of assailants, according to a local police officer,

In an earlier incident in Lubuk Jerai, Mayo at 5.45 pm (local time), a security personnel was shot dead by unidentified men while on his way home after completing his duty.

Yesterday in Thepa, Songkla, police fished out the body of a man and his wife from a river after they were kidnapped by unidentified individuals who stole their car.

Authorities later found the couple's abandoned car near a police base in Thepa and successfully defused the 100kg homemade bomb wired inside the vehicle before it was detonated.

Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha when asked about today's violence said that the incidents would not hamper the peace process and the government would find a way out of the problem in the south.

He said, if the safety zone was successfully implemented, the government was willing to discuss other issues.

His deputy, who is also the Defence Minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, said, despite the killing of four people today, the level of violence in southern Thailand had actually reduced to a historic low.

"The number of violent incidents has reduced so much compared to last year, indicating that there is more understanding," he told reporters.

-- BERNAMA