YALA, Thailand, Aug 18 (IPS) - The Blackhawk helicopter flies fast and relatively high above an endless expanse of hills, some gentle and rolling, some with sharp peaks, in this southernmost tip of Thailand, where an insurgency has been raging for over five years.

The scene below is a canopy of thick dense forest. It is difficult to see what lies within the jungle terrain; it is likewise impossible to detect who moves under such forest cover even on a late morning bathed with bright tropical sunlight.

Yet penetrating this forest-covered hills that spread over two of this country’s provinces – Yala and Narathiwat – close to the Thai-Malaysian border is the new challenge that the Thai military faces as it battles shadowy Malay-Muslim militants.

It follows the counter-insurgency campaign by the military to limit the space militants have to operate in this largely rural rubber and rice-growing region. That includes flushing the insurgents out of the Malay-Muslim villages.

For now, the military is turning to small well-armed patrols to track down the militants hiding in the forests. The soldiers and rangers, often working in groups of 22, spend five to 10 days on such missions triggered by intelligence gathered by the army. At times, helicopters offer support.

The numbers the military has in its crosshairs remain as elusive as the actual nature of the Malay-Muslim militants, who have not openly rallied under a distinct banner. While the army estimates that the shadowy network they are targeting is around 8,000, others put it close to 9,500, not all of whom are trained fighters. Some of them serve as couriers while others perform other tasks.

The military high command that oversees operations in the three southern provinces, which include Pattani, admits that the task of tracking down the insurgents in the forest-covered hills is a formidable one. "The whole mountain area is vast. We are not fully successful at controlling movement in the forests," said Lt Gen Pichet Wisaijorn, commander of the Fourth Army Region.

"The insurgents are good at moving through the forests, which are very dense," he revealed during an interview. "This is our weak area."

Former veterans of jungle warfare, such as Wang Than Hok, understand the task that the Thai military faces. "The forests in these parts are so thick that it is impossible for the military to move through unless they know the routes," said the 50-year-old ex-fighter of the Malaysian Communist Party, who spent 11 years deep in the jungles during another battle that was waged in this terrain till the mid-1980s.

continued http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48119

Do the Thai military own Blackhawks or are they (shudder) on loan?

Hello, it looks like the military is involved in a police action with a quick moving criminal organization. They need more boots on the ground to work with the helicopters, or maybe the military want the criminals to keep their heads down and stay in the jungle. Good luck to the military, and I hope they can capture more prisoners to gather more information. Cheers.