Three paramilitary rangers injured in Narathiwat blast

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Three paramilitary rangers injured in Narathiwat blast

By Narong Nuansakul
The Nation

 

 

Three volunteer paramilitary rangers were injured when a roadside bomb went off on Wednesday morning in the southern border province of Narathiwat.

 

The injured rangers, identified as Prasert Muangkhunthod, Somkiat Monthienthong, and Pipao Saopoon, were part of a patrolling team from the Paramilitary Marine Regiment 5 that was checking a rural road in Ban Beu Rawae (Moo 4) in tambon Luboh Sawor, Bacho district when the bomb planted in a roadside stall went off at 8am.

 

The injured volunteer rangers were rushed to Bacho Hospital while police and related security agencies moved in to inspect the scene of the blast.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373081

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-17

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[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Three volunteer paramilitary rangers

The Rangers, a volunteer organization founded by the Royal Thai Army in 1978 to combat communist insurgency, are widely known for their involvement in extraneous politically motivated and violent activities. The Boys in Black: Thahan Phran (Rangers), Thailand's Para-Military Border Guards by Desmond Ball (Author).

Working under the auspices of the Thai military, "they are quicker and cheaper to train and deploy and tend to have more flexible command structures. Locally recruited volunteers have better local knowledge than troops brought in from outside. But they are also inadequately trained and equipped, confuse already difficult command and control arrangements and appear in some cases to make communal tensions worse." SOUTHERN THAILAND:THE PROBLEM WITH PARAMILITARIES by the International Crisis Group

http://seasite.niu.edu/Thai/Islam_in_Thailand/140_southern_thailand___the_problem_with_paramilitaries.pdf

As the Army Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) pulled some of its troops out of the southern provinces in 2016 allegedly because the provinces had become safer from the insurgency, it tripled the strength of the paramilitary "ranger" force.

"On balance, Thailand’s various village militia and paramilitary organisations hinder more than they help address the violence in its southern provinces. Each offers some advantages but none performs a role that could not in the longer term be carried out as well or better by either a more professional police force or military." ditto ICG Report