Thai Army Chief Visits Deep South

BANGKOK, February 28 (TNA) - Thailand’s Deputy Defence Minister and also Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Udomdej Sitabutr on Saturday flew to the two southern violence-plagued provinces of Pattani and Yala to follow-up the government’s policy on using natural rubber in making roads and to also monitor on progress made on resolving unrest in the region. Speaking to journalists before his departure, Gen. Udomdej said the government wanted to use rubber in repairing 36 roads in the South during the current 2015 fiscal, began last October 1. So far, over 20 per cent of repairs has been made while work was stalled earlier due to heavy rain in the area. If the project on using rubber in making or repairing roads, aimed at helping growers due to falling rubber prices in the country, proved successful the project would be kept continued in future, he said. On the renewed violence which has rocked mostly three deep southern provinces, including Narathiwat, since early 2004, Gen. Udomdej said a recent meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, agreed that considerable progress is seen as the number of casualties had dropped. Gen. Udomdej said the car bomb incident in Narathiwat on February 20 had impacted morale of the people in the area while investigators have now pointed out that there are two bombers responsible for the incident. Rehabilitation has been given to affected people while repairs to damage of property are underway, he said, adding that development in the region is now on stage 2 and building peace and development on a sustainable basis will be on stage 3, said Gen. Udomdej. The number of army personnel in the troubled region would be reduced from this April onward and Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha in his capacity as chief of the Internal Security Operations Command has already been informed, he said. Simultaneously, a bomb, believed to be planted by insurgents, exploded while a group of 10 soldiers were patrolling in a village of Yala province this morning, officials said. No casualties were reported, they said. (TNA)