Army chief denies Thai military's involvement in Rohingya trafficking

BANGKOK, May 11 (TNA) - Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr insists that no Thai soldiers have involved in the cross-border trafficking of Rohingya people and local security officers have continued their searchs to wipe out migrant detention camps from the Thai South. General Udomdej told journalists of the information on Monday, stressing that the Royal Thai Army has sincerely solved the Rohingya-releated problems, while the 4th Army Area Command has been assigned to look into possible routes and camp locations of Rohingya migrants, as Thailand appears to have been used as a transit point of the illegal migration. General Udomdej, who is also Deputy Defence Minister, said that the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs would seek cooperation from the country of origin and the destination country involved in the illegal migration of Rohingya Muslims. The Thai army chief admitted, however, that some soldiers were transferred in the Thai South because they could not supervise their areas well although they had not involved in the alleged trafficking of Rohingya migrants, vowing that any Thai soldier found guilty of involving in the illegal act would face decisive punishment. According to the Thai army chief, local police and soldiers have been searching 10 areas suspected of being venues of migrant detention camps although access to the areas remains difficult. The army chief noted that the 10-day deadline Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has set for a solution to the Rohingya trafficking-related problems is just a rough timeframe, but concerned parties have tried the best to find a solution as soon as possible. (TNA)