The slaughter continues unabated in the Thailand jihad, but the Thai military is going to lift the curfew for Ramadan anyway.

Because the jihadis really appreciate these gestures of good faith.

BANGKOK, Thailand - A curfew imposed on especially violent areas of insurgency-wracked southern Thailand will be lifted during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the military said Sunday.

The military imposed the curfew in parts of Yala province in March after suspected insurgents massacred eight civilians traveling in a van. The lifting of the ban has been tentatively scheduled for Sept. 12 to Oct. 15, said army spokesman Col. Akara Thiprote.

More than 2,400 people have been killed in the Muslim-majority southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat since a long-simmering Islamic separatist insurgency flared up in January 2004. Government efforts to suppress the rebels have met with little success, as the insurgents continue to carry out drive-by killings and small-scale bombings.

The local people demanded the lifting of the curfew during the Ramadan month and security forces have agreed and the official announcement will be made next week,’ said army spokesman Col. Akara Thiprote. Lt. Gen. Wirote Buacharun, the military commander for the south, said if the situation improves, the curfew may be lifted for good.’