The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) has been focusing its strategy on the royal advice of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great to "understand, reach out, and develop” and the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy as guidance for dealing with problems and promoting development in the deep South.

Secretary-General of SBPAC Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kotcharak on 12 June 2024 gave a briefing on the Government’s policies concerning the administration and development of the southern border provinces of Thailand to ambassadors from Muslim countries. 

In his briefing, given at TK Park in Yala Province, the Secretary-General stated that SBPAC has also adopted the initiatives of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua (Rama X), especially that concerning a voluntary scheme, known as “Royal Thai Volunteer Project. In this program, participants are encouraged to perform good deeds through cooperative efforts.

He described one of the strengths of the deep South as its location in the middle of the Malay Peninsula and the center of Southeast Asia. The southern border provinces are rich in natural resources and are predominantly Muslim. They make up a multicultural society with cultural diversity.

In addition, he said, local people have lived together happily and peacefully. Their resources are favorable to development in many areas, such as agriculture, tourism, business operation, and halal services. Thailand and Malaysia are joining hands in developing their cross-border twin cities, involving cities in the deep South of Thailand. The five southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Satun, and Songkhla also form part of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).

The Secretary-General stressed the need to integrate working with all sectors of society, as well as international networks, in order to handle problems and carry out development in the deep South more effectively.

Under the current action plan on the administration and development of the southern border provinces, there are more than 40 state agencies working together, with SBPAC serving as a major agency. Emphasis is placed on three major areas, which include 1) the development of local people’s quality of life, 2) peace-building operations amidst cultural diversity, and 3) the adoption of peaceful means to tackle conflicts.