Ninth anniversary of Tak Bai crackdown in Thai far South

BANGKOK, October 25 (TNA) - Authorities have stepped up security measures in the Thai far South on the occasion of the 9th anniversary of the crackdown on demonstrators in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province on October 25. In Narathiwat, local security authorities have intensified their patrols and searches, as well as guarded communities although no incidents were reported. In nearby Yala province, local authorities have also performed strict searches on people and vehicles at checkpoints, especially on roads toward the Nakhon Yala municipality. Meanwhile, Colonel Pramote Prom-in, Spokesman of the southern outpost of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), told reporters that the commanding general of the 4th Army Area Command has ordered local security authorities to take precautions, as local people are trying to forget about the violent crackdown. The spokesman said the Thai government has regretted the incident and has tried to rehabilitate affected people, asking ill-intended parties to stop raising the incident to create division in the society. (TNA)