Srettha tours deep south, says strong economy would help bring peace

Speaking to reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting, Srettha said the body had approved the establishment of a national halal industry and a centre dedicated to promoting that industry.

While visiting Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat on Tuesday afternoon, he will raise the issue of halal promotion with local officials and local community leaders, Srettha said. He had earlier discussed the government’s plan to promote halal foods abroad with the King of Brunei and the Malaysian prime minister.

If halal foods from the Muslim-dominated South were better promoted, the well-being of the local Muslims in the region would be improved, he said. Moreover, once halal foods in the region became more widely known to the public, it would also draw tourism to the region.

He said his visit would also aim to find ways to promote tourism to the region as well as promoting local products to major untapped markets.

The prime minister noted that several government agencies have been dispatched to the region with the goal of unlocking the potential of the southern border provinces to generate highers incomes for the local people.

Srettha said if the economy in the region were improved and local people had better lives, real peace would return to the region.

“This is my real goal for visiting the provinces today.”

The region has suffered an insurgency that began as an ethnic and religious separatist movement by Malay Muslims in the historical Patani region encompassing the three southernmost provinces (Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat) and parts of Songkhla province.

It intensified following a 2001 gun robbery in which several hundred weapons were stolen from an army camp.

As of January 2024, peace negotiations between the Thai government and some insurgent groups continue, with the aim of reducing violence and involving the public.