Thai Army Chief and Deputy Defence Minister Udomdej Sitabutr said onDecember 2 that the authorities have controlled the overall situation inthe Deep South, which saw a series of arson and bomb attacksrecently.

He said that some insurgent groups tried to stirup unrest whenever the government makes headway in restoring peace inthe region.

The situation here will improve after moredevelopment projects that cater to the needs of local people areintroduced next year, he added.

He also affirmed thatclashes will not affect efforts to resume peace talks between theGovernment and southern Muslim insurgents.

During a recentvisit to Malaysia, the only country to play an intermediary role inthe talks, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his Malaysiancounterpart Najib Razak agreed to continue cooperation in the peaceprocess in the south.

This month, General Aksara Kerdpol, head ofthe negotiation delegation of the Thai Government, will meet with theMalaysian side on preparations for a new round of negotiations.

Thailand's Deep South, including three border provinces whichare home to the majority of Muslims, has been plagued with violencesince January 2004.

According to the Thai army, over the pastdecade, violence in the south has claimed the lives of about 6,000people and injured 10,600 others.-VNA