Patani AGAIN......

4,000 more troops for the far South

By: POST REPORTERS
Published: 12/03/2009 at 11:55 AM

The government has approved another 4,000 security personnel for the far South in an effort to break the back of the insurgency and win back hearts and minds.

The new security force, including troops, police and civil servants from the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), will be deployed in villages as part of a community relations mission to reach out more to villagers.

Isoc spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng said the new contingent would reinforce the 62,000 security personnel already in the South. About 38,000 of the existing force are soldiers.

The dispatch will beef up paramilitary ranger units and the Pattana Santi (peace-building) units in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

The Pattana Santi units, each made up of 31 soldiers, police and defence volunteers, will be stationed in 217 villages classified as "red areas" where militants have been active.

Shortages of security personnel have hampered efforts to combat militants in the villages.

"But from now on, the 31-member peace-building units will stay in the villages and promote better understanding, extend a helping hand and provide mo! bile medical services," Col Thanathip said.

The officer said it was army policy to scale down hunts for insurgents in villages to win back the trust of the people.

Speaking after an Isoc meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the reinforcements were aimed at improving relationships with locals.

Mr Abhisit said projects aimed at improving the livelihoods of poor southerners and ensuring them justice must be carried out in parallel.

He was concerned that as the authorities put pressure on militants, they might resort to more violence and try to enlist more young people to their cause.

He stressed the need to allow young people in the South greater access to education and career opportunities.

A military source said the prime minister wanted the army to slash security forces in the far South by 10,000 next year to rid the region of its frightening image and boost tourism and investment.

Economic ministers are working on 605 projects worth more than 80 billion baht for the South. These include the development of a deep-sea port, industrial estates and special economic zones, the source said.

The source said the army planned to reduce troops in the far South.

Troops from the First, Second and Third Army areas would be withdrawn from the region.

Only troops under the Fourth Army area, which is directly responsible for security in the South, would remain, the source said.

In Narathiwat's Tak Bai district, four soldiers responsible for escorting teachers were wounded yesterday in a bomb attack near Satae village in tambon Nanak. They were sent for treatment at a nearby security camp.

In Bacho district, police arrested Abdulrosa Kadae and three other suspected insurgents. Police said Abdulrosa was the right-hand man of Masae Useng, a rebel leader in Narathiwat. In Pattani's Yaring district, Suraipee Malee was shot dead while riding a motorcycle home from work on Pattani-Yaring road near Buejo village.

In Yala's Kr! ong Pinang district, Laila Pohetaedaoh was shot. She was taken to Yala Hospital. She recently received an award for being among the most outstanding women of the district.


EARLIER REPORT By BangkokPost.com:

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has approved the deployment of another 4,000 troops to the troubled southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

He announced the deployment after chairing a meeting of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) on Thursday.

The prime minister said more troops were need to counter the activities of separatist militants in the deep South and discourage local teenagers from joining militant groups by opening up more education opportunities to them.

"I have authorised sending an additional 4,000 rangers. Their mission is non-combat. They will work towards a better understanding with local people," Mr Abhisit said.

"The government can currently only maintain the status quo and...it's not enough because there are still violent militants who have succeeded in creating a climate of fear in the area," he said.

Thei authorities had put pressure on the insurgents, who could no longer operate easily and so had turned to using more violent methods to create unrest,

The government would also consider extending the emergency decree in the southern region next month, he added.

The increase in troop levels follows the approval by the cabinet on Tuesday of a 1.2 billion baht budget to fund an increase in the hardship allowance paid to soldiers, police and civilians battling the insurgency.

The allowance is to be raised from 1,500 to 2,500 baht monthly for the 60,000 personnel deployed in the three troubled southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

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During the period of Siam's tributary state of Pattani's last queens in the 17th Century, the Patani kingdom fell into disarray and went into gradual decline. After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the Siamese King Taksin The Great succeeded in driving the Burmese invaders from Siam. His successor, Rama I, established the Chakri Dynasty, which still rules Thailand today.
The Siamese still remember when Pattani's Sultan Muzaffar Shah took his advantage on Ayutthaya, by launched an attack on in 1563 and to prevent any more hitting from behind type of war, the Siamese sent the Prince Surasi, Rama I's younger brother and vice-king, invaded Pattani. Sultan Muhammad was killed in battle and his capital razed to the ground. The broken Seri Patani and Seri Negara cannon - were brought to Bangkok as a sign of unconditional surrender. (The Phaya Thani is on display today in front of the Ministry of Defence.)
In 1791 and 1808, there were rebellions within Pattani against Siamese rule, following which Pattani was divided into 7 largely autonomous states (Mueang) – Pattani, Nongchik, Saiburi (Teluban), Yala (Jala), Yaring (Jambu), Ra-ngae (Legeh) and Reman. All were ruled by the King of Ligor.After the British had taken a big part of southern Thailand in 1909, the Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was signed between Great Britain and Siam. The British recognised Siam sovereignty over Pattani, and in return Siam gave up her territory call Kelantan to the British.All seven mueang were reunited into a monthon and incorporated into the kingdom. Later, the central government in Bangkok renamed certain localities with Thai versions of their names and merged some of the mueang. When the monthon system was dissolved in 1933, three provinces remained - Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Southern Dilemma; Current Insurgencies

Patani separatist groups, most notably the Patani United Liberation Organization (PULO), began to use violent tactics in 2001. There have been suggestions of links between PULO and foreign Islamist groups such as al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. A number of Pattani Muslims are reported to have received training at al-Qaida centres in Pakistan, and the Pattani insurgents have forged links with groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Indonesia. Estimates of rebel strength vary widely from only 500 to more than 15,000 where the former figure may be looked at as being not realistic. Weekly reports throughout the recent years show an unpleasant activity by extremists and killings of soldiers, supposed rebels and civilians are quite common. Roadblocks everywhere across the 3 southernmost Thai provinces are a common sight. Armored military vehicles have vanished recently from the public eyes on the roads and within the cities and villages.

Would this adminstration be better towards the local populace ?

Thaksin failed and he reaped what he sowed.....

We will just have to wait and see.

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE.