Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday ordered government security agencies in the restive southern border provinces to tighten their security measures with setting more checkpoints to ensure safety during the New Year celebrations, Thai News Agency reported.

Gen Prayuth on Tuesday left Bangkok to visit military Sirindhorn Camp in restive southern province of Pattani's Yarang district on Tuesday to review the latest developments in the southern border provinces and follow up the measures implemented to address the problems.

He also offered moral support to the agencies on the occasion of the New Year and to thank them for working tirelessly in the violence-torn southern provinces.

Gen Prayuth said that during the long New Year weekend, he has ordered the military to be more vigilant, more checkpoints should be set up to provide more safety to the public.

He urged the public to be patient and to cooperate fully with the authorities, always have ID cards with them and to be more careful when travelling.

Moreover, the army chief said he believed that the situation in the southern provinces would be improved if all sectors cooperate to solve the problems.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and more than 9,000 hurt in over 11,000 incidents, about 3.5 incidents a day, in Thailand's three southern border provinces -- Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat -- and four districts of Songkhla since violence erupted in January 2004, according to Deep South Watch, which monitors the regional violence.