KFC outlets in the Deep South are to close down on July 16

Three KFC fried chicken outlets in Yala and Pattani are to be closed down in the middle of July due to safety problem and public suspicion that the three shops do not have a certificate from the Central Islamic Committee to guarantee that all the ingredients used and cooking process are in line with the Halal food prescription.

          Mr Asmee Benjamun, assistant manager of KFC outlet in Pattani, recently told Isra news agency that the outlet was notified by the head office in Bangkok about a month ago about the closure.

          There are two outlets in Pattani, one located at the Diana shopping mall and the other is situated in Big C Super Centre.  The other one is in Yala province, located on the ground floor of Coliseum mall.

          Mr Asmee said the KFC outlet at Diana shopping mall has been operational for 12 years and it has been making good business everyday especially during during public holidays or festivals when the shop is jampacked with Muslim customers.

          All the staff members are Muslim and they all wear hijab, a scarf to cover the head, if they are female.

          Mr Asmee said that the Diana outlet had weathered through several violent incidents.  "The first incident was in 2004 when a bomb exploded at Pitharn car dealer’s shop which is next to Diana mall.  Last year, a bomb exploded right in front of our outlet causing some damages.  And there was another explosion at the Toyota car dealership in the same neighbourhood," he added.

          He disclosed that the head office had wanted the three outlets in Yala and Pattani to be shut down two years ago because of the unrest situation however he asked the management through his manager to postpone the planned closure.

          The last straw for the head office’s management came in May when Pattani was hit by more than 20 bombs with 7-Eleven convenience stores being the prime target.  An urgent meeting was called in Nakhon Si Thammarat and an order was out for the three outlets to close their doors on July 16.

          The staff members were given one month advance notice, said Mr Asmee, adding that they were given a choice to work in Songkhla’s Muang and Jana districts.  Many took the offer but not the 17 staff members at Diana outlet who did not go elsewhere because they are all locals in Pattani.

          Regarding the Halal certificate, Mr Asmee said that the management had never made clear about his issue about whether the three outlets in the Deep South had the approval from the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand or the provincial Islamic committee.

          Mr Waedoeramae Mamingji, chairman of Pattani Islamic committee, said no Halal certificate had been sought with the committee or the central committee by the three outlets in question despite the fact they have been in operational for more than 10 years.

          He said the outlets should have applied for Halal certificate and there shouldn’t be any problem but they didn’t.

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Caption :

1 KFC brand (Image from http://www.thaifranchisecenter.com/info/show.php?etID=451)

2 KFC outlet in Pattani