Army to ‘hold ground’ in tactics shift

YALA: Lt Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, the new commander of the 4th Army Region, has pledged to ramp up efforts to ensure safety for people in the violence-plagued deep South.

Lt Gen Pornsak yesterday travelled to the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattanai to listen to local people’s opinions about how to solve the southern unrest.

He said his new security policy is for law enforcement officers to “hold their ground” to step up protection for local residents.

Under the new measure, security officers including soldiers and police will be deployed to high-risk areas. They will camp out in the forests near villages, conduct patrols and meet with locals in the morning, Lt Gen Pornsak said.

The new 4th Army chief also visited Thai Buddhists at Wat Muang Yala in Yala’s Muang district to hear their suggestions on how to end the southern insurgency.

More than 300 Thai Buddhists, security officers and local officials participated in the discussion.

Their proposals included boosting morale for Thai Buddhists, who are seen as a minority in the Muslim-predominantly deep South, and ensuring the fair and equal allocation of development budgets.

They also called on the government to be more rigorous in screening former insurgents who surrender and join a government rehabilitation scheme called “Bring People Home”.

It is aimed at rehabilitating former militants by giving them a chance to join support personnel in the deep South. They stand to have their criminal charges wiped before they re-enter society.

Under Section 21 of the Maintenance of National Security in the Kingdom Act, the Criminal Court can approve the entry of insurgents to the rehabilitation and training programme.