Three KFC fast-food outlets in embattled Yala and Pattani provinces in the deep South will be closed permanently before the end of this month, according to the US restaurant chain operator.
A source at Yum Restaurants International (Thailand) Co., the operator of the Pizza Hut and KFC chains, confirmed the closure. They could be locked as early as next Tuesday or Wednesday.
All three outlets have operated for more than 10 years.
Discussion of whether to keep the three outlets open began last year, with the restaurants all losing money and safety concerns for the employees. One of the planned closures is in Yala, and the two others in Pattani province.
The source declined to elaborate, and said official an statement detailing reasons for the shutdown will be released within a week.
Local officials in Yala and Pattani told Thai Rath Online they had asked Yum Restaurants executives about the closures, and were told a KFC employee was injured in insurgency-related violence on May 24. The incident was being used by parent Yum! Brands to end services in volatile areas, despite pledges by authorities to improve security for restaurant staff.