More Killings In Southern Thailand

[Jai Dee]

Gen. Prem is confident southern violence not initiated by Thais

Privy Councilor and Statesman Gen. Prem Tinnasulanont (เปรม ติณสูลานนท์) said he is confident that the southern crises were not created by Thais.

Gen. Prem lectured youths, members of the 6th Thai Hearts to Southern Hearts, that the government and authorities have given importance to this project as they hope it would place reconciliation and peace to the southern region. He has urged the youths to realize the good intention of the national administration and hopes that the youth in return, would give full cooperation with the state authorities.

At the same time, Gen. Prem has condemned those who create brutality to innocent residents in the Deep South. However, he says government projects to douse the Southern flame will still continue until the situation subsides.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 May 2007

[Mid]

an indication as to the basis of this confidence would be a fine thing ....................

[ColPyat]

Gen. Prem is confident southern violence not initiated by Thais

Privy Councilor and Statesman Gen. Prem Tinnasulanont (เปรม ติณสูลานนท์) said he is confident that the southern crises were not created by Thais.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 May 2007

It would be nice if Prem would stop making comments on politics, especially if there is no evidence whatsoever that the southern crises has been created by anybody else but Thais.

[marshbags]

Gen. Prem is confident southern violence not initiated by Thais

Privy Councilor and Statesman Gen. Prem Tinnasulanont (เปรม ติณสูลานนท์) said he is confident that the southern crises were not created by Thais.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 03 May 2007

It would be nice if Prem would stop making comments on politics, especially if there is no evidence whatsoever that the southern crises has been created by anybody else but Thais.

I think what he is saying is being taken out of context.

Taken from the the B.Post Breaking News 11:34 03-05-2007

Part Quote:

Prem condemns beheadings in South

(BangkokPost.com) - Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda condemned decapitation in the deep South, saying insurgents who decapitated villagers were not a Thai.

"They are vicious, and they don't love the country, the religions nor His Majesty the King," Gen Prem spoke at the opening of a project called San Jai Thai Su Jai Tai VI, which aimed at solving the southern unrest by educating youth from the South. "They are not a Thai."

Unquote.

Please go to the following Url for the full article:-

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=118498

The way i read it is he,s talking in the way Thai,s conduct themselves and obviously those responsible for the attrocities and unrest ect. are not doing so in the name of Thailand and it,s law abiding citizens.

In other words Thailand dis associates itself with these evil ???????

Nothing political in this version of his statement from my understanding of what he is saying.

IMHO of course

marshbags

Edited May 3, 2007 by marshbags

[ColPyat]

I think what he is saying is being taken out of context.

Taken from the the B.Post Breaking News 11:34 03-05-2007

Part Quote:

Prem condemns beheadings in South

(BangkokPost.com) - Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda condemned decapitation in the deep South, saying insurgents who decapitated villagers were not a Thai.

"They are vicious, and they don't love the country, the religions nor His Majesty the King," Gen Prem spoke at the opening of a project called San Jai Thai Su Jai Tai VI, which aimed at solving the southern unrest by educating youth from the South. "They are not a Thai."

Unquote.

Please go to the following Url for the full article:-

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=118498

The way i read it is he,s talking in the way Thai,s conduct themselves and obviously those responsible for the attrocities and unrest ect. are not doing so in the name of Thailand and it,s law abiding citizens.

In other words Thailand dis associates itself with these evil ???????

Nothing political in this version of his statement from my understanding of what he is saying.

IMHO of course

marshbags

That comment is even worse, if you have any inkling of Thai history, especially the communist insurgency era. There communists also were "not Thai". The next step here in Thailand usually is the clergy declaring that killing communists/drugdealers/etc. would not draw any bad Karma.

When Prem is commenting on this way on the insurgency, it might not take long and there could be another course taken soon. Many frustrated military officers have already asked the government to allow a more violent and harsh strategy to deal with the south.

[marshbags]

I think what he is saying is being taken out of context.

Taken from the the B.Post Breaking News 11:34 03-05-2007

Part Quote:

Prem condemns beheadings in South

(BangkokPost.com) - Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda condemned decapitation in the deep South, saying insurgents who decapitated villagers were not a Thai.

"They are vicious, and they don't love the country, the religions nor His Majesty the King," Gen Prem spoke at the opening of a project called San Jai Thai Su Jai Tai VI, which aimed at solving the southern unrest by educating youth from the South. "They are not a Thai."

Unquote.

Please go to the following Url for the full article:-

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=118498

The way i read it is he,s talking in the way Thai,s conduct themselves and obviously those responsible for the attrocities and unrest ect. are not doing so in the name of Thailand and it,s law abiding citizens.

In other words Thailand dis associates itself with these evil ???????

Nothing political in this version of his statement from my understanding of what he is saying.

IMHO of course

marshbags

That comment is even worse, if you have any inkling of Thai history, especially the communist insurgency era. There communists also were "not Thai". The next step here in Thailand usually is the clergy declaring that killing communists/drugdealers/etc. would not draw any bad Karma.

When Prem is commenting on this way on the insurgency, it might not take long and there could be another course taken soon. Many frustrated military officers have already asked the government to allow a more violent and harsh strategy to deal with the south.

He is quoting on the present time / situation, not the historical issues in this statement ?????

By the way i think that education and changing the embedded mind set of times gone by is the most positive way forward away from the passing of elder to youth traditons and philosophies of hatred.

marshbags

Edited May 3, 2007 by marshbags

[ColPyat]

He is quoting on the present time / situation, not the historical issues in this statement ?????

By the way i think that education and changing the embedded mind set of times gone by is the most positive way forward away from the passing of elder to youth traditons and philosophies of hatred.

marshbags

I think you don't get the larger context.

There are historical precedents on what is implied by the comments of elders on offenders "being not Thai", and what follows after. He does not comment on history, but i do - i comment on what has mostly been following after certain real or perceived enemies were declared "not Thai".

What change of "embedded mindsets"?

You may have forgotten, even though you always go on about it, but only a few years ago we have had the drug war killings, and they were clearly in the Thai tradition of using extreme violence against what was perceived as enemies of society.

Countless times i have tried to explain to you that this was not just Thaksin's doing, but a concerted effort of the different Thai elites, and in a clearly identifiable tradition. Thaksin is only a part of the problem, a military that resorts to coups is as much part of the problem.

Comments such as those of Prem now, the same demands by village scouts and pressure of certain factions of the army are rather clear - the longer the southern situation goes on as it does, the larger the chance that we might soon see a change of strategy towards more violence.

Lower level suspected insurgents up to the rank of commando are well known (around 1000 to 2000 are known by face and name, just so you understand the scope here), are seen everyday by the security forces who are helpless as there is not enough evidence by the courts to arrest them and try them. So far there is a policy that the army can only shoot if they are shot at first.

If Prem's comments are not just an unimportant speech that might very well be a sign to the security forces to change their policy, and then we might see many extra-judicial killings of suspects.

I don't think you are fully aware how instable and dangerous the times are now in Thailand. Things can go any way - infighting between army, police and parts of the civil service are rampant, and also within the army. This is not just "evil Thaksin and his cronies" against "the good forces". A Pandora's box has been opened, and anything is possible until there is a constitution and successful elections. Successful means a stable democratic government which is strong enough to keep the infighting between the aforementioned institutions to a minimum.

[plachon]

I would have thought for most deep Southerners, the "non-Thai" comment would be very divisive under the circumstances, where many Muslims have long felt they have not been treated as equals in their own country, but "othered", like the hilltribe minorities in the North. Thus, with the historical precedent of being labelled "non-Thai" for communists, I would imagine that Prem's comments won't go down very well, even in a moderate village of say Yala or Pattani. For the Muslim extremists and insurgents, I'm sure they haven't felt "Thai" for a long time, so it will be no skin off their nose. But he should be thinking about how to keep the moderates onside and sympathetic to state policy and practice.

[A_Traveller]

I have to say that I'm concerned by Prem's apparent statement. If it has been correctly reported, it does remind me, as it has others, of the tendency to label groups as 'un-Thai' as part of a process, which has been seen several times before, leading to placing individuals {and mindsets} beyond the pale.

Given Prem's knowledge and standing, it is inconceivable that he would not be aware of the risk of such a resonance.

Regards

[ColPyat]

A not too bad article on the amnesty in today's Nation. It points out many difficulties that will be faced, such as that the amnesty that worked in the eighties worked because in those days it was a completely different situation than today. In those days the separatist groups were clearly identifiable, and most battles took place in the jungles, while today the insurgency happens mostly in the villages and towns without a clearly identifiable opponent.

Also, in the 80's there was huge infighting between different groups, in addition to what the writer points out in his article, that foreign support ceased due to changed global politics. Today there is no evidence of either infighting nor of any substantial foreign support.

I believe that granting of amnesty is a last resort now. If this doesn't work, then things might turn ugly.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/04...cs_30033356.php

Surayud has seen an amnesty work

The idea is good, but the govt needs to avoid taking a legalistic approach on who is eligible

The idea to grant amnesty to militants in the far South is a positive gesture for national reconciliation and the restoration of peace in the troubled region - but only if the military-installed government is able to fine-tune the process.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont got the idea from Fourth Army Region Commander Viroj Buacharoon. The same concept was used successfully to weaken the Communist movement in the 1980s by granting fighters amnesty and welcoming them back home to help develop the nation.

Article 7 of the now abolished anti-Communist law, granted amnesty for members of the Communist movement who joined the insurgency in the jungle without committing any crimes.

The amnesty imposed with Prime Minister's Order 66/2523, during Prem Tinsulanonda's administration, aided political efforts to defeat the Communists.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who was then a junior soldier, probably got a good impression from that triumph, as he saw a massive defection of Communist fighters - notably former student activists who joined the Communists after the massacre at Thammasat University in October 1976 - emerge from the jungle in the early 1980s.

The approach was regarded as a great success and was then applied to separatists in the deep South two years later, when Prem issued Prime Minister's Order 65/2525 to grant amnesty for Malay separatists. This proved a major setback for the Muslim separatist movements.

The Patani United Liberation Organisation, Barasi Revolusi National, Bersatu and other separatists were hit hard by the amnesty.

While authorities in Bangkok may be very eager to utilise such a strategy, they should also realise that this policy alone was unable to bring down their enemies twice - another key factor was that the international attitude to the Communists and separatists changed.

International support for the Communists and the separatists declined dramatically due to internal conflicts within their respective worlds.

However, the current situation in the restive South is totally different from Prem's time.

The militants have completely changed from those that Thai officials confronted previously. In the 1980s, the government had a clear picture of what Communists - and later, separatists - looked like. Their guerrilla wars might have had their own rules but it was not beyond the ability of a uniformed army to take them on.

They had ideologies, organisations and territories to be traced and tackled. The Communists and separatists, more or less, killed their enemies during fighting but as long as the government deemed the struggle a "war", rather than a "crime", it was not difficult to grant amnesty.

The new generation of southern militants is a different story and the government, both the current and the previous administration, has never treated them as an enemy in a war - but merely culprits who commit crimes against security forces, and sometimes simply against individual security officials.

The authorities these days still have little clear idea who their opponents are. A spate of violence erupted three years ago, but there has been no manifesto from the militants to say who they are and what they want.

From a legal point of view, those who surfaced to create violence in the restive region were people who clearly committed crimes. Killings, shooting, bombing and arson are all crimes under the Penal Code.

For those who have not yet committed a violent crime - an amnesty is unnecessary.

However, the boundary between crime and terrorism

in the context of the deep

South is blurred.

It remains unclear as to whether people who have not killed others, but are accused of masterminding violence in the predominantly Muslim region - such as Spae-ing Basoh, the former principal of Thammawithaya school in Yala - should be able to apply for amnesty.

The fugitive Spae-ing, with a Bt10 million bounty on his head, is wanted in connection with many violent crimes in the restive south, but his arrest warrant doesn't say he has killed anybody or planted any bombs himself.

If the authorities take a criminal view of him, the amnesty might not be applicable.

However, one group that should apply for Surayud's amnesty are the militants' supporters and sympathisers, who helped provide logistics, distributed anti-government leaflets, lay spiked nails along roads or staged demonstrations to demand the release of suspected militants.

However, if authorities are strict about criminal laws as they were previously, these people would be supporters of crime, and so an amnesty would not help them get off the hook.

The amnesty is not a bad idea, however, if the government takes a new perspective and does not act like the police in assessing people's involvement from a criminal point of view.

It is worth considering amnesty for people like Spae-ing also, if the authorities believe he is an influential person who can manipulate violence in the region - or at least get many young militants to listen to him.

To grant him amnesty would also boost the possibility of dialogue between the authorities and militant leaders, which could pave the way to end the conflict and create real national reconciliation.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

[Jai Dee]

Suspects confess of involving in shooting motorcade of HM the Queen's close aide : police

Six of 24 suspects arrested in Yala for allegedly involving in the southern violence have confessed that they involved in shooting at a motorcade of a close aide to HM the Queen three months ago, a Yala provincial police said Friday.

Pol Col Chinnawat Maedej said that the six suspects, all of them are youth, admitted during interrogation that they fired at the motorcade of Thanpuying Viraya Chavakul, a close aide to HM the Queen on February 21. Viriya was not injured.

On Friday, some 300 Thai Muslims, mostly women and children, continued their protest and blocking a road in Yala for the second day, to demand the authorities to free 24 suspects arrested in connection with the daily violence in the province.

Chinnawat reiterated that police could not release the suspects because they had solid evidence that they involved in the attacks in the province.

"We could not free them as we have evidence, such as leaflets and weapons, to back up the charges against the suspects," he said. Security authorities have asked religious leaders in the province to help talk to the protesters. All telephone communications were cut off to prevent the situation from escalating, he said.

Source: The Nation - 04 May 2007

[MiG16]

I havent seen this reported....anyone read anywhere?

either monday or tuesday night a bomb exploded in the centre of Pattani..around 8pm, right in the city centre, night market. atleast 2 died instantly and about 20 wounded.

and yesterday a driveby shooting of police again in the centre of pattani, near a business school in town. this was around mid day or early afternoon.

I know to many these incidents sound like its not anything extraordinary anymore, but given the locations and the time of day, you will understand why Im getting even more concerned. the fact that such things are now happening right in the centre of town (still was a rarity, atleast in Pattani, a bit more common in Yala) is not a good sign. a very negative sign of how things have escalated, and how the militants have become even more vicious in their attacks. with obviously not an inkling of fear for authority.

[WaiWai]

Five killed in Thailand's restive south

Five people, including two Muslim children, have been killed by suspected Islamic rebels in separate attacks in Thailand's violence-torn south, police have said.

A group of militants ambushed a motorcycle late on Friday (local time) and shot dead a 45-year-old Muslim man and his two children, an 11-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy, in Yala, one of three Muslim-majority provinces.

Also in Yala, a 37-year-old Muslim man was hacked to death by militants in public view at a market late Friday, police said.

They also found the body of a man in a river in the province.

While the case is still under investigation, police suspected he was a victim of Thailand's three-year insurgency in the south bordering Malaysia.

Police said several hundred Muslim women and children also blocked a highway in Yala on Saturday as they continued their sit-in for the third consecutive day to demand authorities release suspected militants.

About 20 kilometres away from the sit-in, hundreds of Buddhists also took to the streets, demanding the Muslims end the road blockade.

More than 2,100 people have been killed in the ongoing insurgency in the three south provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.

The Muslim-majority provinces were once an autonomous sultanate, until the region was annexed by mainly Buddhist Thailand a century ago.

Separatist unrest has erupted periodically ever since.

The military-backed Government, which came to power after a September coup, has made peace building efforts in a bid to rein in the unrest, but violence has escalated in the last six months.

- AFP

[peter991]

Source

Gun, bomb attacks kill six in Thailand

Six Thais, including three children, have been killed in the latest gun and bomb attacks in the country's restive Muslim deep south, police say.

A two-year-old girl and two policemen were killed by a roadside bomb in the province of Yala, one of three mainly Malay-speaking southern provinces roiled by a three-year separatist insurgency.

The blast, which occurred in the evening as the officers rode past on their motorcycle, also badly wounded a teenage boy, police said.

On Saturday, unknown gunmen shot dead a 46-year-old Thai Muslim man and his son and daughter - aged 7 and 11 - as they returned home from prayers in another part of Yala.

The attacks came as hundreds of Muslims held a fifth day of protests in Yala demanding the release of 20 people who police said were insurgents.

Hundreds of Buddhist villagers staged counter protests in another part of the province, opposing the release of the detainees, police said.

Separately, two schools in Yala were burnt down on Saturday, the latest to be targeted in a wave of attacks on schools and teachers seen as symbols of the government in faraway Bangkok.

More than 2,100 people have been killed over the past three years in the conflict in the former sultanate annexed by largely Buddhist Thailand a century ago.

Thailand's military-backed government said last week it planned to offer an amnesty to people suspected of being involved in the insurgency.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has shunned the hardline policies of his predecessor, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in September.

Surayud's conciliatory strategy has included an apology for abuses by security forces in the mainly Malay-speaking region.

He also has pushed for dialogue and greater recognition of Malay culture and language.

But the gun and bomb attacks on both Muslims and Buddhists have intensified despite 30,000 soldiers and paramilitary rangers in the region bordering Malaysia.

Peter

[Mid]

Tense protests face off along religious lines

By Post reporters

Rival demonstrators in the deep South continued their blockades along Yala-Betong road in Bannang Sata district yesterday. Islamic protesters were pressing for the release of 24 villagers being detained at a military camp, while Buddhists called for Muslim villagers to abandon their protests.

Two groups of Muslim protesters, each totalling about 100 and mostly made up of women and children, massed at new rally sites yesterday, joining the growing public demonstrations in Bannang Sata. Both rally sites were along the Yala-Betong highway _ one near Ban Jaroh Pisaekuela mosque in tambon Taling Chan and the other at Tanoh Puteh mosque in tambon Tanoh Puteh.

The new demonstrators lent support to more than 300 Muslim women and children who rallied for a third day yesterday on a stretch of the same road in Krong Pinang sub-district.

Local ethnic-Malay villagers have been calling for the authorities to set free 24 Muslims who have been held at the Ingkhayuthboriharn military camp in Pattani province since April 29 on suspicion of supporting the insurgency.

The protesters also wanted to see the lifting of a curfew in Bannang Sata and Yaha districts of Yala and removal of military units from the areas.

At the same time, more than 200 Buddhist residents continued their own counter-protest for the second day, also on the Yala-Betong road in Bannang Sata, calling for Muslim villagers to disband their protests and stop trying to pressure the authorities to release the insurgent suspects.

Both sides have set up road blocks on the Yala-Betong road, forcing commuters to take alternative routes.

where are all those confident gentlemen now ........................................

[Mid]

Bomb kills 7 soldiers in the South

Pattani (dpa)

Insurgents on Wednesday killed seven soldiers with a bomb detonated under their truck as they patrolled Rangae district of Narathiwat province in the deep South, police said.

The explosion occurred at mid-afternoon near Bongo village, Rangae district of Narathiwat (about 790km south of Bangkok) near a hilltop where a Thai patrol on March 2 had surprised a group of Runda Kampulan Kecil (RKK), and killed five.

All seven soldiers in the pickup truck on Wednesday were killed. Other booby trapped bombs and nails thrown on the road prevented authorities from immediately getting to the scene.

meanwhile ..............................

[Mid]

Muslim father killed, son injured in Yala shooting

May 9, 2007 : Last updated 04:15 pm (Thai local time)

The Nation

Yala - A Muslim father was killed and his son injured allegedly by Muslim insurgents in this southern border province at noon Wednesday, police said.

[Galong]

Bomb kills 7 soldiers in the South

Pattani (dpa)

Insurgents on Wednesday killed seven soldiers with a bomb detonated under their truck as they patrolled Rangae district of Narathiwat province in the deep South, police said.

The explosion occurred at mid-afternoon near Bongo village, Rangae district of Narathiwat (about 790km south of Bangkok) near a hilltop where a Thai patrol on March 2 had surprised a group of Runda Kampulan Kecil (RKK), and killed five.

All seven soldiers in the pickup truck on Wednesday were killed. Other booby trapped bombs and nails thrown on the road prevented authorities from immediately getting to the scene.

meanwhile ..............................

It looks like the bad guys are better trained than the military. These were special forces soldiers, yet they didn't seem prepared for this act, which was something I think they should have expected. I'm no miltary mind, but roadside bombs and booby traps are what to expect aren't they? There's got to be a plan of action in this case.

It's truly sad when any lives are lost.

[cclub75]

It looks like the bad guys are better trained than the military. These were special forces soldiers, yet they didn't seem prepared for this act, which was something I think they should have expected. I'm no miltary mind, but roadside bombs and booby traps are what to expect aren't they? There's got to be a plan of action in this case.

Sure... use helicopters. Or tanks.

I mean : even the US troops, with heavy technologies and support, suffer from such attacks (road side bombings) in Iraq. It's even the deadliest kind of attacks.

So, what can do the thai troopers ?

[Galong]

[quote name='cclub75' date='2007-05-09 21:08:57' post='1293978'

Sure... use helicopters. Or tanks.

I mean : even the US troops, with heavy technologies and support, suffer from such attacks (road side bombings) in Iraq. It's even the deadliest kind of attacks.

So, what can do the thai troopers ?

Remember the US troops complaining about their vehicles NOT being properly armoured? It is possible to withstand a roadside bomb if you have sufficient armour from what I've read.

I venture to say that there are ways to lessen the damage done by roadside bombs, but that would cost a lot of $ most likely, so it's doubtful that it'll happen. I feel sorry for the families of soldiers stationed down there. It must be very stressful.

[ColPyat]

It looks like the bad guys are better trained than the military. These were special forces soldiers, yet they didn't seem prepared for this act, which was something I think they should have expected. I'm no miltary mind, but roadside bombs and booby traps are what to expect aren't they? There's got to be a plan of action in this case.

It's truly sad when any lives are lost.

They are prepared for this, but someone has to walk and patrol the roads to look for bombs, and then defuse them, but obviously running the risk of being ambushed. It is very stressful. They go out every day, change routes and times, but they know that one day they are going to be ambushed, and that some are getting injured or killed.

Things are much worse than media reports are suggesting. Some districts are almost completely in the hand of the insurgents already. There insurgents regularly shoot into the make shift barracks of the security forces. The village population is supporting the insurgency, and the ones who don't have moved out already.

There is no military solution for this. You cannot fight an insurgency like this without killing many innocents. Unfortunately though the pressure is rising here in Thailand to adopt harsher tactics against the insurgency, and most likely we soon will see an escalation. And a lot more people will die.

[Jai Dee]

CNS Chairman says strategy for solving the southern insurgency does not need to be changed

The Royal Thai Army Commander-in-Chief and Council for National Security (CNS) Chairman, Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin, asserts that the strategy for solving the southern insurgency does not need to be changed following the bomb blast that killed seven army officials in Ra Ngae district of Narathiwat province yesterday.

However, Gen. Sonthi says the strategy will need to be adjusted, particularly by focusing on the cooperation between the masses and the armed forces. He says the Fourth Army Commander is responsible for this matter, and he knows the procedures well.

Gen. Sonthi says he is confident that the Fourth Army Commander and the officials working in the deep South can dissolve the demonstration that is blockading the Yala-Betong route.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 May 2007

[Jai Dee]

7 bombing victims in Narathiwat will be delivered to Lop Buri and Nakhon Si Thammarat today

The Royal Thai Army Spokesman, Col. Akara Thiprot, says the bodies of the seven army officials who died from the bomb blast in Ra Ngae district of Narathiwat province yesterday will be sent to the provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Lop Buri this afternoon to perform the religious ceremony. Two of the bodies will be sent to Nakhon Si Thammarat while the remaining five bodies will be transported to Lop Buri.

Col. Akara says this is another tragic lost. He says the southern people gave this team of officials a good welcome, but the insurgents still managed to create violence and fear. However, he says the officials were able to arrest two of the culprits together with their weapons. The officials are now hunting down the remaining insurgents.

Col. Akara says the Royal Thai Army will compensate the seven army officials with great honor.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 10 May 2007

[ColPyat]

7 bombing victims in Narathiwat will be delivered to Lop Buri and Nakhon Si Thammarat today

Shit, i think i know some of the dead soldiers.

[Jai Dee]

CNS Chairman admits difficulty in dealing with southern unrest

The Chairman of the Council for National Security admitted that political work in the three southern border provinces was a difficult affair.

Army Commander in Chief and Chairman of the Council for National Security, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkrin, conducted an interview in which he reported on an insurgent attacked and killed 7 special force soldiers in Ra-ngae (ระแงะ) district of Narathiwat province. The CNS Chairman likened combat to water splashing, in which soldiers must get wet.

Gen Sonthi said that official understood the southern situation and are attempting to conduct their duties to the utmost of their abilities, but due to lack of sufficient manpower, authorities are having difficulties in supervising all local areas. The CNS Chairman said that if authorities were too harsh, local residents would protest. He called on personnel to adjust their work approach accordingly.

Gen Sonthi added that additional Army Rangers may be sent into the southern border provinces for duty.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 May 2007

[Jai Dee]

Army to reduce troops on duty in restive south

The Commander in Chief of the Army revealed that the Army will be phasing in territorial defense volunteers in place of regular Army troops in the restive south.

Army Commander in Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkrin said that he will be attending a meeting today (May 11) to discuss policy with the Army Reserve Command, due to the department's duty of close support for the Army. Gen Sonthi said the Royal Thai Army will be reducing the number of troops on duty in the restive south, and phasing in territiorial defence volunteers, who would be further trained to combat insurgents.

The Army Commander in Chief added that funding for operations in the southern border provinces may be somewhat slow, but that the Army currently possess sufficient funding.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 May 2007

[ColPyat]

Gen Sonthi said the Royal Thai Army will be reducing the number of troops on duty in the restive south, and phasing in territiorial defence volunteers, who would be further trained to combat insurgents.

Oh my god - badly trained civilian militias to combat an insurgency. A recipe for disaster...

[Jai Dee]

SBPAC seeks to develop student roles in supporting peace in restive south

The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center is holding a seminar to develop the potential of students in the 5 southern provinces.

The Deputy Director of the Academice Division of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center, Mr. Prasert Kaewpech (ประเสริฐ แก้วเพ็ชร), hosted a seminar at the B.P. Samilar Hotel in the muang district of Songkla province. The seminar is aimed at developing the roles of students in creating peace and reconciliation in the southern provinces.

More than 75 representatives from 10 academic institutions in the 5 southern provinces attended the seminar, and worked to build their understanding and experiences during the event. Officials hope that the students will convey what they have learned to other students to foster peace in the southern region.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 May 2007

[Jai Dee]

SBPAC given more tasks to assist victims of Southern Unrest

The Policy Committee under the Ministrior of Interior is to designate more tasks to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) to provide further assistance to victims.

The Minister of Interior Aree Wong_araya (อารีย์ วงศ์อารยะ) hosts the meeting and discloses SBPAC has been assigned to take responsibility to provide assistance for those affected by the southern unrest situation. Meanwhile, officials from Prime Minister’s Office will be deployed to help facilitate the assistance. In addition, each province in the three southernmost provinces is allowed to use its advance budget to provide to local students as their scholarships.

The Interior Minister affirms the government is trying the utmost to improve the situation, and he is confident the government can clarify problems to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA).

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 May 2007

[Jai Dee]

Chief of Joint Staff visits southern region

The Chief of Joint Staff believes that solving the southern unrest will take time and understanding.

At the Internal Security Operations Command Region 5 Forward Operations Center today (May 11), Chief of Joint Staff Gen Songkiti Chakabat (ทรงกิตติ จักกาบาตร์ ) and delegates traveled to present 230 gift packages comprised of food and necessities to local troops on duty in the restive south. The Chief of Staff admitted that solving the southern unrest would not be an easy task, and would take understanding and patience on the part of officials and local residents.

Gen Songkiti revealed that the Fourth Region Internal Security Operations Command is currently conducting an assessment of the southern unrest in order to formulate a proper response. He added that he will personally visit the southern region again to listen to local burden and troubles.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 11 May 2007