Emergency decree may be extended after Narathiwat bombing
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The latest bombing in deep southern province of Narathiwat on Thursday which left four soldiers dead may prompt the cabinet to extend the emergency decree due to worsening violence, Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa conceded on Thursday.
The latest bombing in the deep southern province of Narathiwat on Thursday, which left four soldiers dead, may prompt the cabinet to extend the emergency decree due to worsening violence, Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa conceded on Thursday.
He was referring to the bomb attack in Rue Soh district, which killed four soldiers last night. One member of the 12-man unit was severely wounded.
Gen Yuthasak described the incident as extreme violence and said he personally believed that an extension of the decree for another three months was necessary in light of such a deadly incident.
He said that a military lapse was partly to blame.
Rather than repeating their usual routes, the general said, “soldiers on patrol should adjust their routes and timing quite often to avoid being targeted by insurgents in risky areas such as bridges and intersections.”
To speed up policy implementation based on government strategies and performance evaluation, Gen Yutthasak said he would visit the region next week with army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha to see for himself any progress on policy implementation and integration among concerned agencies.
An executive decree on administrative rule in emergency situations was introduced in mid-2005 to maintain order in the restive provinces and has been extended regularly ever since.
More than 5,000 people have died since insurgency-related violence resumed in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla province in 2004, with attacks becoming more complicated and more violent.
