BANGKOK, March 30 (UPI) -- Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has retreated from his hard-line position on violence in the Muslim-majority southern part of the nation.
Thaksin announced Wednesday he will try peaceful measures to address the problem, saying "violence only breeds violence."
He added his government would from now on give greater consideration to legal due process and cultural understanding, instead of resorting to conventional security measures.
The prime minister says his change of heart came during a brief vacation in Japan when he was able to rest and rethink his policy, which has failed to bring an end to 15 months of violence that has left more than 630 people dead, The Nation reported.
Thaksin confirmed for the first time he will not pursue his earlier stated policy of keeping development funds from communities deemed sympathetic to insurgents.
