A member of an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) team visiting the deep South voiced support for the government's "Bring People Home" scheme Tuesday.
Ambassador Salih Mutlu Sen, Turkey's permanent representative to the OIC, said he thought the project was a good idea and hoped it would be successful.
Fourth Army Region commander Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich Tuesday gave the team a briefing on the situation in the South at a military base in Pattani's Sai Buri district.
He told them the authorities have managed to win more of the people's trust and many insurgents had laid down their arms and turned themselves in.
According to Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), which Lt Gen Piyawat heads, 96 people had signed up for the initiative so far and that 37 had finished nationality verification and received identification cards.
Mr Sen said he was glad to have had the chance to visit the southernmost provinces and had received a warm welcome.
He said the OIC wants Thai Muslims to live happily and have good lives.
"The OIC is ready to hear the policies of the government to improve the lives of Muslims in Thailand. I am asking Muslims in Thailand to cooperate with the government in developing the country," he said.
"As Muslims, we do not accept violence. We want peace," he said.
Romae Kaso, a participant in the "Bring People Home" project, said he had long wanted to return and live in Thailand, and the scheme gave him the chance to do so.
"When I first set foot back on Thai soil, I wanted to cry because I was finally home. I received a warm welcome from many people in the country I love," he said adding that he has received his ID card and now is an ordinary citizen.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he hopes the situation in the South will improve with people in better spirits as Islamic communities understand the situation that the region is not a war zone but only the victim of occasional sporadic violence which can be managed.
The government had allocated personnel and funding, has developed the region and used legal means to solve the problems in the southernmost provinces, he said, adding the government has also promoted the local economy.
Special development and educational programmes have been provided and platforms opened for local Buddhists and Muslims, local administrators, business people and government officials to discuss ways to solve the problems, he said.
While some people are not comfortable with the tight security in the South, they are urged to think of the majority of people who want to live in safety and in a secure environment and who are willing to pay the price, the prime minister added.
"We cannot do the same as some other country that sealed off a whole city to crack down on insurgents," he said, apparently referring to the way the Philippines dealt with the crisis in the predominantly Muslim city of Marawi on Mindanao last year.
