Pm Gives Thailkand Security & Army Cheifs 7 Days

[george]

Thai PM Gives Thailand Security and Army Chiefs 7 Days to Deliver

Deadline: 7 days to catch raiders

Angry Thaksin sends ministers back South

BANGKOK: Top security ministers and the army chief have been ordered back to the South and given just seven days to catch the separatist bandits who burnt schools and looted a military arsenal on Sunday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha, and Defence Minister Thammarak Isarangura na Ayudhya hurriedly packed their bags yesterday morning on the instructions of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and boarded an army plane for a military base in Pattani.

They were joined at the last minute by army chief Gen Chaisit Shinawatra, who had returned from the South only hours earlier, a well-informed source said.

The ministers were in Narathiwat two days ago assessing damage in the aftermath of Sunday's simultaneous torching of 20 schools in 11 districts and theft of 102 automatic rifles from Narathiwat Ratchanakarin army camp by armed attackers who also killed four soldiers.

The source said Mr Thaksin told the ministers and the army chief they had no business being back in Bangkok. They must return south, catch the bandits and retrieve the stolen weapons within seven days.

Gen Chavalit bemoaned the pressing deadline. ``The prime minister gives us just seven days. There's so little time to act,'' the deputy prime minister said.

He would be preoccupied directing the hunt for the bandits and getting back the firearms he believed destined for sale to Aceh rebels in Indonesia.

The South has been hit hard by a wave of violence which began on Sunday morning with the coordinated arson and attack on the camp in Narathiwat. Burning tyres were also scattered on the roads in neighbouring Yala with bogus bombs planted on bridges.

On Monday, two bombs went off in downtown Pattani, killing two disposal experts. No one has claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.

Mr Thaksin was furious at the security lapse and ordered everyone concerned to shape up. He threatened a mammoth transfer of security officials if the dereliction and complacency persisted.

Gen Thammarak said before leaving Bangkok that the southern trip would afford him the closest, most realistic perspective of situation.

A source close to Gen Chaisit said Mr Thaksin had demanded that the army chief head back to the South immediately. He also ordered Gen Chaisit to don camouflage army fatigues and command the manhunt for the bandits on-site.

Gen Chaisit had not planned to leave on the flight with the three ministers but changed his mind after a telephone call from the prime minister.

The army chief said some company-level army commanders would be dismissed for their failure to prevent the southern violence.

Malaysia yesterday promised cooperation to prevent those responsible from escaping and hiding in its territory.

The promise was made by Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar prior to a meeting with Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai in Kuala Lumpur.

Mr Surakiart flew to Malaysia yesterday for talks with Mr Syed Hamid and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He said later that Mr Badawi would visit Thailand on Jan 16 for talks on the situation in the South.

Gen Thammarak, meanwhile, warned of possible impending attacks on Muslim schools by people wanting to make it appear government authorities were retaliating against the Muslim radicals who set fire to the state-owned schools on Sunday.

He believed there was a plan to bomb a Por Nor school, which teaches Islam.

Gen Thammarak said the military had for some time now refrained from a military offensive against the outlawed elements in the South.

Much of the military's combat role had been handed over to the police since the abolition of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre. Combat soldiers were now deployed on the border. The rest were engineers assigned to development tasks.

He also admitted the soldiers had been careless in guarding their barracks.

Gen Chavalit said a ``third hand'' may be stirring up unrest now that security remained volatile. The military had been ``out of touch'' with the locality due to its absence from the ``security scene'', he said.

The latest attacks were new in shape and form. The authorities needed to familiarise themselves with the new tactics in order to counter them better.

The bandits were reported to have strewn tyre spikes on the roads as they fled and laid booby traps to deter police pursuit.

An intelligence source said the spike and booby trap tactic was commonly used by rebels fighting to free Aceh from Indonesian rule. It was quite possible Muslim extremists in the South had links with the Aceh rebels and adopted their fighting tactics.

--Agencies 2004-01-07

[george]

Follow up:

Two injured in fresh attack on Thai police station

Two policemen were injured during a gun attack by assailants on a police station in Thailand's Muslim-majority south early on Wednesday in the latest assault in the restive region, security officials said.

Aiyaweng police station in Yala province's Betong district came under attack by more than ten assailants after receiving a phone call informing police of a fire at a nearby bridge in order to lure police outside, Major Jiarapan Kasemsansuk, told AFP.

"They attacked the police station in Aiyaweng area of Betong district for about 30 minutes," he said.

A policeman at the station told AFP the attackers used M-16 rifles and said two policemen were slightly injured by pieces of shattered cement during the firefight.

"Police are now in hot pursuit of the attackers," he said.

The attack came as three senior ministers were scheduled to hold a second day of emergency talks with local officials in nearby Pattani province after two days of violence left six people dead in the region.

--AFP 2004-01-07

[Guest IT Manager]

I was impressed that the wife of one of the murdered men said His Goodness was "insensitive" saying he deserved to die.

In my opinion, "insensitive" doesn't come close. In a civilised community he would be whipped out of his office and back to a barracks where he can do whatever damage he can get away with, without recourse to the electorate, ever again.

However, that is just my view.

[maerim]

without recourse to the electorate, ever again.

As soon as you find that frog with feathers on it let me know at once, please.

[Moving]

The events in the this region do not make sense to me. The more I try to know, the more I understand...but the more I understand, I find that I know nothing. The burning of schools, raiding an Army barracks and killing soldiers for weapons, bombing, and attacking police stations, setting booby traps (which have no targets)...WHY? Is it monetary profit? If so, for whom? Is it a political statement? If so, against who and for whom? Is it a religious statement? Is it all a distraction for other activities we don't see?? Hey, someone out there from that region or contacts must have some clue? Help me understand?

[Moving]

Just in case, one of the purposes of my previous post was directed at the military's mission and objective(s), thier "rules of engagement" (when and who can you shoot and under what circumstances), and a final end-state (when can you drop your pack, declare victory and go home to your family). An additional question, "What is the 'working relationship' between the military and the police"?

[mrvietnam2001]

Hmmm just a few days ago the headline was:

Thailand On Verge Of `First World' Status

Mr Vietnam

[Dove]

Doesn't look like bandits going for arms to me. Too much idealism is involved in this kind of operations. It can't be for money for the people for the motivation and planning. I too agree that it is some kind of distraction for something more major. As a man in the street I would question the level of dissatisfaction in the armed forces? As I recall the forces in the south were on standby over the New Year.

Another thing is that I also recall watching the news clip on TV about interviews on the streets with people on the streets about their opinions about continued Thai presences in Iraq after Thai soldiers were killed there. One interviewee thought that Thai presences should be continued so as not to lose face. I think that this incident is a bigger loss of face, an army on standby caught by surprise. Why bother about helping keep peace elsewhere when you cannot maintain peace in your own home?

Let's see if the bandits are caught in 7 days and if there are any answers. Otherwise the country's confidence in the armed forces would be questionable?

[george]

Update:

‘Don’t go to south Thailand’ advice

Kota Baru: Malaysians have been advised not to visit southern Thailand for the time being in the wake of the armed attacks on an army camp and schools in several provinces there.

Federal Police Director of Internal Security and Public Order, Datuk Sedek Mohd Ali, said Malaysians should follow the advice in order to avoid facing problems while visiting these provinces which were now under martial law.

This was actually not a prohibition because those who had to go to southern Thailand on important business were still allowed to do so, he told a media conference after chairing the Border Committee meeting at the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters, here Tuesday.

Also present were Kelantan Police Chief Datuk Mohamed Najib Abdul Aziz, Kedah Police Chief Datuk Supian Amid, directors of enforcement agencies at the Malaysia-Thai border such as the Royal Malaysian Customs, Immigration Department and senior military officers.

In the incident between 1.30am and 3am on Saturday, a group of more than 60 people attacked a military camp in Narathiwat and seized scores of firearms and M60 grenade launchers.

The group was also said to have killed four soldiers and burnt almost 20 schools, and the press Tuesday reported several developments in the towns of Pattani and Yala where the majority of the population were Muslims. Several bomb blasts occurred with several deaths.

Commenting on the developments, Sedek said all enforcement agencies assigned to maintain security at the border had been directed to increase the number of personnel to intensify security patrols there.

He said the tight security patrols at the border did not mean that the situation there was no longer safe and gave an assurance that the situation along the border was still under control.

He said the police did not receive any information to show that the attackers and stolen firearms had crossed the border.

Sedek said Malaysian security forces had also been informed about the types of weapons seized by the attackers, and he gave an assurance that all members of the security forces at the border were trained and capable of handling any threat.

On the identity of the attackers, he said there was no report indicating that Malaysians were involved in the group.

-- Bernama 2004-01-07

[Sojourner]

pfordice, there are those in this world that would like to take themselves “off line” from globalization and return to some seventh-century definition of the good life.

[DaveYo]

I agree with Mr. Vietnam, just when Thailand was supposed to be First World Status. Hmmmmmm, M-16's oh lets hope they did not get the cobra gun and the gattling gun. If they have those, the military is in for a surprise.

Folks, time to get the body bags ready, they will need plenty of them.

Daveyoti

[Moving]

Jeez folks,

I thought I would ask a couple of questions of which the answers/opinions would better help me understand why and what is going on in the South...plus what plans the government may have under the "umbrella" of declaring Marshal Law...which can be VERY scary for the "run-of-the mill" citizens, like myself, when government troops, for lack of a better term "occupy" the front yard, or for that matter my house, and begin asking questions like, "...and Khun pfordice, where were you on the night in question..."

I didn't intend, nor do I want folks to talk about 'killing', nor any b---s--- about other folks religions...

I am not really a sensitive, touchy feely type of guy...in my younger years it was "fight, f---, and get drunk" in no particular order...however, now I am old and brittle and tend to be slow to anger...so guys have pity on me, "there are times and there are places..." for comments, just pick the right time and the right place.