Police chief visits Thai far South

BANGKOK, June 22 (TNA) - National Police Chief Police General Adul Saeng-sing-kaew is visiting the Thai far South on Saturday to boost morale of more than 3,000 policemen who were recently deployed in the restive South to help contain violent unrest. After his arrival in Yala province, Police General Adul told the newly-deployed police officers to be on alert for violent incidents, especially during the forthcoming Ramadan fasting month of Muslims, from July 9-August 7, and to speed up installing more surveillance cameras. The national police chief then traveled to visit officers wounded from violence in the Muslim-dominant southernmost Thai region at local hospitals. Meanwhile, Commanding General of the 4th Army Area Command Lieutenant General Sakol Chuentrakul affirmed during a press conference in nearby Pattani province that the command authorities are ready to provide protection to Muslims wishing to perform religious rites during Ramadan and also prepare to welcome misled insurgents wishing to surrender themselves to authorities. So far, 28 suspected insurgents, wanted by police, have surrendered to local authorities, while 47 others have reportedly contacted with police on giving up themselves. In adjacent Narathiwat province, more than 500 Muslim religious leaders, along with Thai Buddhists, launched a walkathon in Ra-ngae district to display unity in opposing violence in the troubled Thai far South and to urge misled insurgents to surrender to the authorities. The Thai government and representatives of insurgent groups in the Thai deep South, led by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) militant movement, agreed during their third-round peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, on June 13 to reduce violence during Ramadan. (TNA)