Thailand
Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Angus Robertson (Moray, Scottish National Party)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the level of insurgency in Southern Thailand.

Jeremy Browne (Minister of State (South East Asia/Far East, Caribbean, Central/South America, Australasia and Pacific), Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Taunton Deane, Liberal Democrat)

Our embassy in Bangkok monitors the situation in Southern Thailand closely. The Thai authorities claim that the situation is improving hence lifting martial law in some districts in the southern provinces. However Southern Thailand is still governed by emergency decree and we have seen no solid evidence that the overall situation has improved. We regularly raise our concerns about the situation in Southern Thailand with the Thai authorities. The UK has also funded a number of small-scale projects in Southern Thailand, including one with the non-governmental organisation Deep South Watch, which was designed to capture casualty/fatality data in Southern Thailand more accurately. Since then, Deep South Watch has provided the embassy with monthly reports on developments. The UK has also invited experts involved in the Northern Ireland peace process to share experiences with the relevant Thai decision-makers. We will continue to offer such expertise and to work closely with our diplomatic partners in this area.