Integrating Policies and Operations in the Deep South

(26/09/2011)

The Government will form a new center to integrate policies and operations, so that the resolving of problems in the southern border provinces will be quicker and more effective. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra stated that she would entrust Deputy Prime Minister, Police General Kowit Wattana, with heading the center, which would coordinate with the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center and the Internal Security Operations Command. The Prime Minister stressed the need for all agencies involved in handling the southern situation to operate in an integrated manner, saying that the new center would focus on working out strategies for dealing with the southern conflicts. In this regard, Police General Kowit would also work closely with Minister of Defense, General Yuthasak Sasiprapha; Army Commander-in-Chief, General Prayuth Chan-O-Cha; and Commanding General of the Fourth Army Area Command, Lieutenant General Udomchai Thamsarorat. In tackling southern problems, Prime Minister Yingluck said that, apart from integrated operations, the Government would emphasize development work and His Majesty the King’s wise advice to “understand, reach out, and develop.” She pointed out that the Government would not focus on suppression but would give priority to ensuring the safety of local residents and creating better understanding about peaceful coexistence among the people of different faiths, based on the rule of law and humanitarian principles. The Prime Minister also instructed all agencies concerned to develop the southern border provinces continuously and seriously. The five southern border provinces include Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Satun, and Songkhla, which have a combined population of more than two million and are predominantly Muslim. Interior Minister Yongyoot Wichaidit said that recent severe attacks in the South had not been caused by the change of the new administration and the Government’s intensified anti-drug operations. He said that southern conflicts were related to the feeling of injustice and inequality, as well as economic difficulties. In other related news, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul recently met Dato’Siri Anifah Aman, Foreign Minister of Malaysia, at the 66th United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the meeting, Foreign Minister Surapong expressed his condolences regarding the four Malaysians killed in the bomb attacks in Su-ngai Kolok, Narathiwat on 16 September 2011. He also expressed appreciation for Malaysia’s cooperation in helping to address the ongoing problems in the deep South. In this connection, the Malaysian Foreign Minister reiterated that the southern issue is an internal matter for Thailand and reaffirmed Malaysia’s readiness to cooperate with Thailand to tackle the issue.