Following last year's record 14-year-low in deaths related to the deep South insurgency, military and local officials in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala have once again urged the government to boost safety and economic development in these "neglected" areas.
A cabinet order from Oct 2016 grouped three zones -- Nong Chik district in Pattani, Betong district in Yala and Sungai Kolok district in Narathiwat -- into a so-called "Southern Economic Triangle", set to house 63 development projects in the deep South.
More than 5 billion baht was approved by the cabinet to carry out the development plans, all projects of which are scheduled for completion by 2020.
