Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that the Government placed importance on improving the situation in the southern border provinces and aimed to raise the income of local people by developing halal food and promoting the halal industry.

The Prime Minister answered queries on the southern situation during an ordinary session of the House of Representatives at the National Assembly Building in Bangkok on 11 July 2024.

He explained that the Government emphasized investment to assist local people in the southern border provinces, as it is considered part of efforts to develop the economic structure in the deep South. During his overseas trips, he held discussions with several leaders of predominantly Muslim countries, such as Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. These leaders would like to cooperate with Thailand on halal food production, as Thailand has sufficient raw materials.

The Prime Minister said that he had instructed the Islamic Bank of Thailand to find funding sources to support businesses in the deep South. He believes that the improvement of the local economy will help ease local problems and bring about peace and stability. The Government will continue to seek more financial sources to stimulate the local economy of the deep South.

Concerning halal food production, the Ministry of Industry has established a new agency called the “Thai Halal Industry Center” to advance and develop Thailand's halal industry through international trade promotion and market expansion for halal products and services. The National Halal Industry Committee has also been established to formulate policies and work out strategies for the development of Thai halal products and services.

The southern border provinces are major sources of materials of high quality for the production of halal products. There are also many experienced entrepreneurs in halal production and business, while a number of local infrastructural facilities have also been developed for the halal industry in the deep South.