The government appears to have reacted too strongly against the five demands and, lately, the conditions set by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) in return for the rebels’ scaleback of violence during the Ramadan. Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwannatat, in particular, announced vehemently that the conditions were totally unacceptable.

“Disappointing!” So said Associate Professor Dr Sombat Yothathip, dean of Humanities and Social Science Faculty of Ratchaphat University’s Yala campus, when asked by the Isra news desk about how he felt with the government’s policy on the southern unrest problem.

The government is taking steps to convince the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group of its commitment to the peace dialogue process and to encourage the rebel group to respond in kind ahead of the third round of peace talk scheduled in Kuala Lumpur on June 13.

The recent departure of the US brandname KFC fried chicken from the three southernmost provinces has opened up a good opportunity for the locally-branded fried chicken outlet to cater to the demand of the local Malay Muslims.

The Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) in cooperation with the associations of the people of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla jointly held a seminar in Bangkok to declare that the unrest situation in the Far South has considerably eased.