Army realigns personnel in Thai Far South

BANGKOK, August 11 (TNA) - The Royal Thai Army has decided to realign its forces in the violence-plagued Thai Far South in response to the improving situation there. Under the realignment plan, army personnel sent from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army Areas Commands will be completely withdrawn from the Thai Deep South by October 2016, after those from the 2nd Army Area Command have been first withdrawn from the southern border region since October 2015. The ongoing realignment plan followed evaluations by security authorities finding that violent unrest in the southernmost Thai region has subsided. Besides, statistics showed that violent incidents in the Thai Far South had dropped by 12.09 per cent during the first 10 months of the 2016 fiscal year, compared to the corresponding period of the 2015 fiscal year, and death toll had considerably fallen by 30 per cent year-on-year during the same period. The number of violent incidents, fatalities and injuries during this year's holy Ramadan fasting month of Muslims recently also declined to the lowest level in 12 years. Violence in the Muslim-predominant Thai Far South flared up in early 2004 and has continued since then. In 2006, then army chief General Anupong Paochinda, who is now the Interior Minister, ordered the deployment of 22 battalions of army personnel from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Army Area Commands in the Thai Deep South to help deal with and contain the situation there. The army personnel from the 1st Army Area Command were deployed in Narathiwat Province, while those from the 2nd and 3rd Army Area Commands were deployed in Pattani Province and Yala Province respectively. After their complete withdrawal by October 2016, army officers under the 4th Army Area Command will take care of security in the southernmost Thai region, together with local defence volunteers, about 15,000 police officers from special units and army rangers, with their total number set at 75,000. (TNA)