A visit to several restive provinces in the deep South by a delegation from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was more successful than anyone expected.
OIC visits and statements in the past have been very suspicious of government actions in the Muslim-majority region. Last week's visit to assess the security situation got two thumbs up -- one from the delegation itself, the other from an unprecedented statement from the group's headquarters in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
The OIC group's visit was short but sweet: It got the red-carpet treatment wherever it went. It isn't clear who arranged the itinerary but either 4th Army commander Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich or Supanat Sirantawineti, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC), were with the delegation every step of the way.
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