Colonel Therdsak Ngamsanong, Yala Special Task Force deputy commander, yesterday said the move would result in the deep South being left with the fewest number of soldiers in 12 years.

However, he said 12 regiments of rangers would remain in the region.

He said an intelligence analysis of the situation in the region led the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 Forward to believe that the restive situation in the South would improve.

Withdrawing will be two battalions of the Third Army Region, one battalion of the First Army Region and one battalion of Royal Thai Marine Corps (one battalion has 184 soldiers).

From 2007 to 2009, the deep South had 22 battalions.