Thai army chief visits border troops in Northeast

BANGKOK, January 10 (TNA) - Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha is visiting Thai troops in Si Sa Ket province in the Thai Northeast on Thursday to be briefed on operational plans along the Thai-Cambodian border. General Prayuth told reporters, before travelling to Si Sa Ket, that he would also inspect border areas and boost morale of Thai border troops at the Suranaree Task Force. General Prayuth insisted on prohibiting Thai soldiers from joining any demonstration related to Thai-Cambodian border issues, but instructing them to be patient and try to contain the situation. The Thai army chief's remarks followed a recent announcement by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a strong Thai civic group, to stage a mass rally in Si Sa Ket from January 12-13 to demand the Thai government to reject any ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a case filed by Phnom Penh related to the Preah Vihear Temple. The army commander-in-chief also acknowledged an ongoing trip to Malaysia by Thai security authorities, led by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, scheduled for January 8-10, in a bid to secure cooperation from the neighbouring country on ending violence in the insurgency-plagued Thai far South and other crime, namely those related to narcotics, saying that Army Chief-of-Staff General Udomdet Seetabut and Commanding General of the 4th Army Area Command Lieutenant General Udomchai Thammasarorat are also members of the visiting Thai delegation to Kuala Lumpur. (TNA)