Bangkok: Phumtham acknowledged the calls for military aid from the three southern border provinces, calling for compensation comparable to the Thai-Cambodian border incident. He left the matter to the relevant parties to consider, insisting that the actions being taken are limited to specific cases and aimed at boosting morale during the fighting outside the country.

According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, addressed concerns from soldiers in the three southern border provinces that compensation for government officials killed and disabled in the violence was not comparable to compensation for the Thai-Cambodian border clashes. He instructed relevant agencies to further investigate the matter, saying that the immediate matter was a matter of morale boosting for those actually fighting and facing external conflicts that impact national sovereignty. This compensation is specific to a specific case, not a comprehensive one.

When asked whether the three southern border provinces would take the opportunity to completely overhaul the relief budget disbursement regulations, given that they were inconsistent with the current situation, Mr. Phumtham said he would allow relevant parties to consider them.