In a report in The Bangkok Post, Fourth Army Region chief Santi Sakuntanak said the youths facing court summons were actually involved in activities in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat aimed at promoting separatism. The report did not mention where the fair was held.

He said they were clearly displaying the symbol of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN) separatist movement.

Fourth Army Region spokesman Pramote Promin said certain groups had exploited the Malay culture fair to serve their own purposes.

He said some took part in a poem reading activity during which poems promoting separatism were read, while others decorated the fair with BRN flags and chanted “Patani Merdeka”, calling for an “independent Patani”.

Malaysia has helped to facilitate peace talks between the separatists groups and the Thai government since 2013. BRN is the the main insurgent group involved in talks with the Thai government

Last year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged to “do whatever is required” to facilitate a peaceful solution to the long-simmering insurgency in southern Thailand.

A Reuters report last February stated that more than 7,300 people have been killed since 2004 in fighting between Thai forces and groups seeking independence in Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and parts of Songkhla, which border Malaysia.