The security authorities have outlined a plan for the progressive reduction of military presence and lifting of the emergency in the far South in four years. Fourth Region Army commander Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak said on Saturday a gradual withdrawal of troops is already underway in the region.
For 19 years since the insurgent violence flared up in 2004, various forms of unrest have wreaked havoc on people's lives, the economy and communities in the southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, as well as parts of Songkhla.
