Army hands control of two Songkhla districts back to

The districts would now serve as models for self-defence in the South, Kritsada said, expressing confidence that locals could take care and solve their own problems, paving the way towards a sustainable peace.
Kritsada, head of the Songkhla unit of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said the two districts had been overseen by Songkhla Special Task Force, which still oversees two other Songkhla districts.
Local police, defence volunteers, kamnans, village headman and their seven assistants would jointly oversee security in the districts, calling on the Army for back-up if needed. Each village head would get Bt10,500 while assistants get Bt7,500 per month. Each village also receives aid funds of Bt20,000, Kritsada said.
Kritsada hailed the handover of as a sign of improvement, saying peace had been bolstered by talks in which insurgents surrendered under Internal Security Act Article 21. Three out of 17 suspects wanted for national security cases had surrendered while talks continued in a positive direction with the others, he said. Under Article 21, the suspects submitted to six months of vocational training, after which they are entitled to exemption from punishment in security and criminal cases.
Also yesterday, Lt-General Paradorn Pattanathabutr, the secretary-general of the National Security Council, said Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung was holding talks with Malaysia from yesterday until tomorrow in a bid to further peace in the South.
Chalerm, head of the operations centre for solving unrest in the South, has designated three problem-solving circles: one in the southernmost provinces, a second in the neighbouring country, and a third among Muslims worldwide.
Paradorn dismissed concerns that Chalerm’s talks with Malaysia meant Thailand was elevating problems in the Deep South to an international level. He said it was just a mission to boost cooperation with the neighbouring country and not necessary at this time to meet leading insurgents.
In related news, Khon Kaen police chief Phermsak Paradornsak oversaw a ceremony in which Bt500,000 in cash was presented to each of four police investigators, aged 44 to 52, who volunteered and were selected to serve in Yala. The money was raised from 86 qualified officials to boost the four officials’ morale. The four will report for their duties in Yala on Friday.