Village Scouts revived for reconciliation

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra signed an order late last month setting up a 21-member committee chaired by Kowit Wattana, the deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs, to oversee the programme.
The committee, backed by a budget of Bt600 million to implement its projects, also includes Cabinet members, permanent secretaries and heads of Village Scouts groups from Bangkok and all regions, a Government House source said.
The Bt600-million budget will be spent evenly over the four fiscal years of 2012-15, or Bt150 million a year, the source said.
On Monday, Kowit called the committee’s first meeting at Government House and it was resolved the project would be officially launched on November 15.
The Village Scouts were formed in the late 1960s by Border Patrol Police to train mostly rural villagers on basic security skills when the country was threatened by the spread of communism.
Three groups are targeted for participation in the activities – existing Village Scouts and residents of the rural areas; officials and staff of government agencies, state enterprises and private businesses; and mass media workers, the source said.
The panel would hold functions to promote loyalty to the monarchy, among other activities aimed at bringing about unity and reconciliation.
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said he expects that government support for the Village Scouts would advance reconciliation efforts.
But whether the move would also give a boost to the red-shirt movement in the provinces would depend on Kowit, he said.