BANGKOK, Thailand – The heads of security-related agencies agreed Friday (February 22nd) to submit a proposal to grant conditional amnesty to Deep South insurgents, local media reported. The plan will be put before a high-level committee chaired by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said the meeting resulted in an agreement on enforcing Article 21 of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in certain areas of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, MCOT Online reported. This, he said, would pave the way for insurgents to surrender to authorities.
Describing the move as a "window to the peace process," Pracha said the proposal will be sent to the Centre to Mobilise Policy and Strategy to Solve Problems in the Southern Border Provinces, chaired by Yingluck, for a final decision.
The Bangkok Post reported that the new strategy represents a significant shift in the government's approach to the insurgency, which has become increasingly violent over the last several months.
On Friday, two soldiers providing security for teachers were seriously injured by a bomb explosion in Pattani's Khok Pho district.
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