Thai Commander: Not Time To Withdraw Thai Troops

[george]

Thai commander says it's not time to withdraw troops from Iraq

www.chinaview.cn 2003-11-06 20:44:04

BANGKOK -- Commander of Thailand's Humanitarian Force in Iraq, Booonchu Kerdchoke said on Thursday: "It is not time for the Thai troops to withdraw from Iraq," saying that the Thai soldiers will seek for an opportunity to continue staying in Iraq to complete their jobs there.

The Thai commander made the statements in Iraq in an exclusive interview with Thai armed force radio program by phone.

Booonchu Kerdchoke said the latest bomb inside a hotel in Karbala is far from the base of the multinational force, but it made the force to step up their security measures by raising the number of security personnel and random patrolling. He believed multinational force could cope up with the situation.

For Thai soldiers, he said they had high morale and kept in touch with the things happened in their country through Satellite TV, electronic mails and Satellite phone.

He said the Thai soldiers could well manage their relationship with Iraqi people through its medical services. The number of Iraqi patients came to Thai medical center for medical treatment is on increase. Most of them were female and children.

He also said the Thai engineering force was preparing to work with Iraqi Ministry of Education to reconstruct schools for Iraqi children.

With the reasons mentioned above, the Thai soldiers asked for an opportunity to go on staying in Iraq to accomplish their tasks,the commander said.

The Thai commander's remarks came after domestic pressures fromThai senators and opposition party that urged Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to immediately remove Thai troops from Iraq dueto the increasing attacks on the US and coalition force in Iraq.

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