Thailand's prime minister promised Saturday to restore a historic mosque that was shot up as security forces stormed it last week and killed 32 suspected Islamic insurgents hiding inside.
About 1,000 villagers came to see Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as he visited the 16th century Krue-sae Mosque, which was damaged on April 28 by Thai soldiers who fired automatic weapons, tear gas and grenades at it.
In all, 107 alleged Islamic separatists — many armed with machetes and knives — and five solders have been killed in clashes in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.
Thaksin said he would order the government's Fine Arts Department to repair walls that were brought down or damaged. "Then we will develop the place into a tourist spot," said Thaksin.
The mosque attack outraged many Muslims. Ambassadors and diplomats from at least 12 Muslim countries are currently in Pattani to assess the situation.
Thaksin met them Saturday before wrapping up his three-day visit to the south.
"After the meeting, they (the diplomats) understood the situation better," Thaksin said. "Just knowing that they support the Thai government and the Muslims makes us happy."
Meanwhile, police reported an explosion early Saturday near a quarry in Yala province where a large amount of fertilizers and explosives were stolen last month, police said.
There were no injuries in the blast which left a 6.6-foot-deep hole on the road into the quarry, police Lt. Col. Somsak Wangsupha said.
"This was the work of the people who want to create tension in the south," he said. About 10 dynamite sticks and 55 pounds of ammonium nitrate were used in the explosion, he said.
Hours later, a bomb placed in a trash bin, exploded near a police station in Narathiwat province, but there were no injuries, police said.
Earlier, in his weekly radio address, Thaksin tried to provide reassurance about the situation in the southern provinces — the only Muslim-majority region in this predominantly Buddhist country.
"Let me repeat this. The situation in the south isn't as bad as it looks. The locals have adjusted to it. Please be confident that this place isn't dangerous as believed," Thaksin said, speaking from Sungai Kolok town, near the border with Malaysia.