Govt had warnings of Chinese New Year attacks but were powerless to act

BANGKOK, Feb 23 (TNA) – Thai Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas admitted Thursday that there were loopholes in the authorities' strategy to deal with renewed insurgency in the deep south, and that despite receiving intelligence information about the Sunday attacks, they were powerless to prevent the incidents.

Gen. Boonrawd told Parliament during a session Thursday on the crisis in the restive region that the insurgents could draw on the support of an estimated 10,000 young people, and could threaten the security of any city in Thailand.

The defence minister said that insurgents previously could only count on less than 100 people. He attributed the dramatic increase to the government's long-term neglect of the region.

He blamed the government of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for destroying an intelligence and communication network established by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, which his administration dissolved in 2002.

The centre was reinstated by the interim Surayud government two months ago. Authorities at present have only succeeded in neutralising about 10 out of some 200 villages suspected of being militant strongholds in the three southernmost provinces Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Militants were able to make exit after launching successful attacks because they had far better knowledge of local areas, Gen. Boonrawd said. It was despite substantial reinforcements in the region which include 20,000 army troops, 10,000 police personnel and 17,000 officials from the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre.

The defence minister told parliament that it would not matter how many security personnel were deployed, peace would not be restored without local residents' cooperation.

"The Sunday offensive shows that we have yet to win over people's hearts and minds. They are not cooperating with the authorities. Moreover, entertainment venues such as karaoke bars do not heed
calls to screen customers and search them for weapons. Public distrust and negligence have allowed insurgents to operate freely," Gen Boonrawd said.

He added that teenagers have been targeted by militants as potential recruits and children as young as 12 years old were indoctrinated in school to hate the Thai state.

But he said it would be wrong to abandon the government's peace-oriented approach in dealing with renewed insurgency in the trouble-plagued region.

"Violence is a malaise that requires time, patience and restraint if it is to be dealt with successfully. We will not fall into the militants' trap by resorting to violence as it would only be used as a pretext by foreign countries to intervene in our internal affair," Gen. Boonrawd said.

TNA