10,000 troops deployed to monitor 188 villages in deep South

By The Nation

 

 

The southern Army chief has dispatched 10,000 troops in 735 units to monitor 188 villages in border provinces where insurgents are hiding following a resurgence of violent incidents in the deep South.

 

Army Area 4 commander Lt Gen Pornsak Poolsawat gave the order after a group of insurgents attacked a security checkpoint in Pattani’s Muang district Tuesday night, killing four officials and injuring three others before escaping with five M16 assault rifles.

 

Following the attack, Pornsak ordered security officials to check traces of DNA and check footage of security cameras along the route believed to have been taken by the fleeing insurgents.

 

A military source said the identities of certain attackers are known but would not be announced for fear it would send them into hiding.

 

Pornsak said he has ordered the Army taskforces in the deep South to dispatch 735 units of 12 or 13 troops to stay in 188 villages that insurgents are believed to use as hiding places.

 

Troops from the 735 units will stay with villagers to maintain security in the area and try to arrest insurgents.

 

Pornsak said the 188 villages were selected following a check of 1,988 villages in the deep South. The authorities found that insurgents often retreated to these 188 villages after clashing with the authorities. Some villages had secret underground chambers below certain houses in which the insurgents could hide, Pornsak added.

 

The southern Army chief said the presence of troops in the villages would step up pressure on insurgents and they would be discouraged from coming out to launch more attacks.

 

The same military source said if the measures pressured the insurgents to isolate themselves from the villages and live in the forest, it would be easier for the security officials to deal with them.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373638

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-25

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That is 53 soldiers per village !

Never ending conflict this one. 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

A military source said the identities of certain attackers are known but would not be announced for fear it would send them into hiding.

so if you are the attackers and you read this... 

Obviously the Thai government is seeking a political solution.

22 hours ago, webfact said:

The southern Army chief has dispatched 10,000 troops in 735 units to monitor 188 villages in border provinces where insurgents are hiding following a resurgence of violent incidents in the deep South.

Prayut's "new" policy for the southern provinces:

https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/thailand-insurgents-07252019183651.html

• Lt. Gen. Pongsakorn Rodchompoo, deputy leader of the opposition Future Forward Party, said during the debate that officials should understand the issues in the Deep South provinces.
• “The human rights issue is the most important.” ... “Using military force is unreasonable."

Prayut's response:

• the government had adopted measures to handle rights issues.
• “Whenever people are arrested, we give justice to them,”
• “The problem today doesn’t come from the state. The state doesn’t shoot first, the soldier doesn’t want to shoot first. If people didn’t get shot first, they won’t open fire.”

So much for putting the insurgency on the national agenda for a political resolution and failing to re-engage peace talks after the military's chief peace negotiator General Udomchai refused in February 2019 to attend the meeting with MARA Pattani dialogue team in Malaysia while he was in Malaysia. https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30363591