BANGKOK, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that separatist insurgents have escalated unrests in southern provinces only to prompt authorities to wage an all-out war against them and draw world attention.
In Monday's press statement, the prime minister noted that the recent violence in Narathiwat and Pattani provinces had been perpetrated by suspected separatists with intent to press the authorities to resort to all-out retaliations so that international organizations around the world might take steps to intervene in Thailand's internal affairs.
Given social media worldwide, such acts of violence which have prevailed the Deep South region over the last few weeks have more or less provoked the authorities to fight back as the separatists had earlier anticipated, according to Prayut.
Prayut called on members of the public and local villagers to stay vigilant and look out for suspicious elements in and around their neighborhoods as well as continue to cooperate with the authorities.
He said the Organization of Islamic Countries has agreed on Thailand's sustained peace efforts and security measures being carried out in the Deep South region.
In those southern provinces earlier this month, four defense volunteers were killed by gunfire at a school, a policeman was shot dead at a police station, four policemen were seriously wounded by a roadside bombing, five army rangers were injured by roadside bomb blasts, a retired teacher was shot dead at home and two Buddhist monks were killed and two others wounded by gunfire at a temple.
