Insurgents May Have Changed Tactics, Yala Governor Says

[webfact]

Insurgents may have changed tactics, Yala governor says

THE NATION

YALA: -- The latest bomb attacks in the deep South - in areas distant from towns where there are regular patrols - have been interpreted in two ways.

Security in urban areas may be sufficient, but it may have caused insurgents to change their strategy to smaller but more frequent terror attacks, Yala Governor Dejrat Simsiri said during a security briefing yesterday.

He spoke after a car-bomb attack on Wednesday killed five police and injured another.

"Whatever the reasons, security measures in downtown areas must be constant and strict to minimise the chance of attacks anywhere, in downtown areas or other outside areas," he said. Dejrat spoke at a meeting of security officials in Songkhla that analysed the latest car-bomb attack.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shina-watra, who spoke earlier at Government House, said that aside from security operations, understanding local people in the deep South would be important, along with development projects and assistance, through Yawi-language media or television programmes.

Changes in state strategies on the region were not immediately needed as most plans and projects were in line with existing conditions in the master plans, she said.

Police raided and searched 18 locations in three precincts in Yala's Raman district yesterday, where the car bombing occurred, in a bid to obtain evidence. They seized a mobile phone from a key suspect's home, which contained video clips featuring scenes of the crime after the blast. House-owner Kaman Chaichana has been on the run after being implicated in several previous terror attacks.

Quoting eyewitnesses to the attack on Wednesday, police said a four-door pickup followed the police vehicle targeted in the attack from a distance. Many hooded men rushed to the vehicle and snatched six assault rifles, two pistols and three bulletproof vests after it was blasted by the car-bomb, before the men fled.

The pickup truck containing the explosives was stolen in a car-jack in Songkhla in March, police said. It was later used by insurgents in an ambush in Pattani, which saw four people killed including a kamnan, before being used on Wednesday. Two vehicles snatched in two ambushes have been used in two previous car-bomb attacks.

Police are on alert for another vehicle - a blue Isuzu pickup, with licence plate number Thor Thung-Lor Ling 8099 Bangkok - which went missing after three occupants were killed in a recent ambush.

Two security cameras located by Route 42 in Pattani and an electric board nearby were also burnt by insurgents. Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat said more cameras were needed. He blamed bureaucracy for delays in the installation of units in areas they were needed.

Safety zones in Narathiwat have been expanded as a result of the attack on Wednesday, and more road checkpoints erected, as ordered by provincial governor Aphinant Suethanuwong.

He said that places would be opened next month for a further 120 civilian defence volunteers to assist security officials at new checkpoints and outposts to be set up.

Deputy police chief Adul Saengsingkaew yesterday presided over funeral services of the four slain Buddhist policemen at a temple in Yala. Their families were given assistance money and medals. One victim was a Muslim but his body was already buried within 24 hours of his death, as per Islamic funeral rules.

-- The Nation 2012-07-27

[sunshine51]

Insurgents may have changed tactics, Yala governor says

Yes...the insurgent will always change tactics....when and as they see fit if

not sooner.

Hope this starts a nice conversation....

"Prime Minister Yingluck Shina-watra, who spoke earlier at Government House,

said that aside from security operations, understanding local people in the

deep South would be important, along with development projects and

assistance, through Yawi-language media or television programmes."

"Changes in state strategies on the region were not immediately needed as

most plans and projects were in line with existing conditions in the master plans,

she said."

I can only wonder just exactly what are the Master Plans?

One must remember a line stated by either General Eisenhower, Gen. Bradley,

Gen Marshall or Gen. Patton (I can't remember exactly who these days)

that goes like this...."Planning is everything...The plan is nothing."...it was

mentioned when they were asked about planning for the upcoming D-Day

landings/invasion.

edited for brevity...ss51

Edited July 27, 2012 by sunshine51

[webfact]

PM asks officials to build understanding with southern Muslims

BANGKOK, July 27 - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Thursday she ordered army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to visit Thailand’s southern border provinces and have officials build more understanding as well as find more channels to communicate with local residents in parallel with providing security measures in the area.

The premier expressed her concern regarding the southern unrest where authorities are one of the targets. She suggested that the government communicate by television using the Yawi language, a dialect of Malay spoken by the mainly Muslim native population in Thailand's southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.

Ms Yingluck admitted that the problem in the south needs time to resolve, but said the main strategies will continue in place. Regarding the fact that past incidents of violence could not be prevented despite advance warning of looming violence, the prime minister said the army must analyse whether it should change details of strategies currently used to deal with the southern insurgency.

In an updated report from Pattani following arson at seven sites along a highway Wednesday night, three surveillance cameras were damaged by the fire. A motorcycle inner tube and an oil bottle used as fuel were discovered at the scene and collected as evidence by authorities who said they thought the arson was done by insurgents.

Meanwhile, Basic Education Commission Deputy Sec-Gen Pisanu Tulsuk, met with Songkhla officials concerning protection for teachers in the region, which includes four districts of Songkhla, particularly during the Ramadan fasting period, as the unrest has continued.

Teachers and school workers should strictly follow instructions of the safety protection unit, for in the past unlikely incidents have occurred when commuters were alone or travelled out of their usual directions.

Mr Pisanu said he believed the situation in the south will improve soon, and the Basic Education Commission will speed up on welfare and benefits for teachers and related personnel for their risk-prone working conditions, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-27

[sunshine51]

On the 18th of August there will be the Hatyai Fashion Week

and a Guinness Attempt when a huge amount of local and

international models strut a catwalk set up between the

Central Department Store and Lee Gardens Plaza.

The Lee Gardens hotel was the site of the last huge

terrorist blast in Hatyai 4 months ago.

Watch this space...I have to be there for work....

I'd suggest if you wanna see the models get in

and out quickly and take a few pix while there

but don't hang around.

Look at this for more info...

http://www.asianewsn...ws.php?id=33923

Edited July 27, 2012 by sunshine51

[Credo]

There is a big difference between understanding and acceptance. There are a lot of things in Thailand that I understand, but I don't necessarily accept them. Understanding is a two-way street.

[brianP]

On the 18th of August there will be the Hatyai Fashion Week

and a Guinness Attempt when a huge amount of local and

international models strut a catwalk set up between the

Central Department Store and Lee Gardens Plaza.

The Lee Gardens hotel was the site of the last huge

terrorist blast in Hatyai 4 months ago.

Watch this space...I have to be there for work....

I'd suggest if you wanna see the models get in

and out quickly and take a few pix while there

but don't hang around.

Look at this for more info...

http://www.asianewsn...ws.php?id=33923

This is one time the models have reason to have that angry semidetached attitude while struttin the catwalk. Best to bring a slow motion camera too.

[JimAnderson]

I suppose it was inevitable that insurgents would begin moving out to Hat Yai and Songkla city setting their bombs. It clearly puts a large strain on one of the biggest incomes this country has, which is tourism.

One of the very first attacks, at Hat Yai airport, killed the father of one of my students and permanently scarred his face. Security was beefed up as would be expected, with more intense baggage and personal property checks and the installation of more CCTV cameras. Then, Carrefour was hit....another in a hotel in Songkhla city....pubs where foreigners hang out in Hat Yai....

I wanted to go into Hat Yai to do some shopping, only days after one of the bomb attacks where a Canadian teacher was killed. My girlfriend freaked out...."Are you crazy? There are bombs going off in that city! Don't flirt with death!"

"No, this is the safest time to go...only days after the initial attack."

"Why you say that?" she asked.

"Simply because the insurgents know that security will be beefed up and awareness will be heightened. They also know that after weeks, months, the security teams will let their guard down, sometimes to the point of just looking at you and nodding you through, without so much as a brief squeeze of the bag you are carrying. It is then they will attack."

While I was right on the money, I never realized just how lax security could get. I would visit Tesco and the guard at the front door wasn't even paying attention. There were even times when there were no guards on duty...at both Tesco and Lee Garden Hotel and Mall. No more bag checks, guards in high spirits, having lost that suspicious edge....and honest to gawd, I distinctly remember mentioning, "This is a prime time for the insurgents to hit...." and they did, only sixteen days after I made that comment, striking the foreigner laden Hotel with a car bomb that killed several people and put some serious hurt on the Malaysian tourist trade.

So, if you look at the patterns the insurgents are using, it's really all common sense. The time to beef up security and heighten awareness is after several weeks or months have passed, as this is the dangerous time.

Jeeem