Army Chief: Insurgency is limited in Thai deep South

BANGKOK, April 16 (TNA) - Insurgency has not been spread to other areas, but it has been limited within the Thai far South. Thai Army Commander-in-Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is also Deputy Defence Minister, told journalists on Thursday he is confident that insurgents in the Thai far South had nothing to do with last week's car bombing attack at a shopping mall on Koh Samui in the southern resort Surat Thani Province. General Udomdej stressed he is quite certain that the bombing of the underground car park of the Central Festival shopping mall on April 10 was carried out by a group of politically-motivated people, not by insurgents from the southern border region. General Udomdej noted that National Police Chief Police General Somyos Pumpanmuang is directly responsible for the violent case, while military personnel have assisted police in the investigation, which should take some time before culprits are arrested. According to the army chief, concerned authorities are seriously resolving the case, as ordered by both Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees national security. The army chief dismissed opinions expressed by national security analysts that last week's bombing incident in Sarat Thani was carried out by state officers to justify the government's implementation of Section 44 of the Provisional Constitution, which has been imposed in place of the martial law since April 1.(TNA)