Second batch of rangers head for restive South

PATTANI, April 2 (TNA) – The Royal Thai Army dispatched 20 more companies of rangers to the violence-plagued South after the first batch of 10 companies have been deployed there since January.

Army spokesman Colonel Akara Thiprote said that the second batch of rangers, recruited from local residents, started their assignments on April 1.

The rangers were assigned to various districts in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and in Songkhla’s four other districts. Each district is deployed with at least one company.

Col. Akara said local people wanted rangers to work in their communities and have cooperate with rangers despite the insurgents' attempts to convince them to incite unrest in the South.

Whether the army will recruit more rangers for the South depends on local villagers' demands, the Army Spokesman said.

TNA