Senators criticises govt for poor intelligence operations
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Several senators Monday blamed the bomb attacks in Yala and Hat Yai over the weekend on inefficient intelligence operations by the government and its security agencies.
The senators discussed the latest attacks during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Khon Kaen Senator Prasert Prakhunsueksaphan said the bomb attack at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel showed that a tall building with an underground car park could be a weak point in security operations.
Phatthalung Senator Charoen Phakdeewanich said the government should overhaul its intelligence agencies.
Charoen added that the government should also visit the deep South more often to provide moral support to government officials in the southern border provinces.
Charoen also said the government should hold consultations with the Army to try to integrate all operations for maintaining security in the region.
The Phathalung senator called on the government to open a special debate on the southern situation to explain measures for rebuilding confidence in the deep South and to listen to the opinions of senators on how to tackle the deep South crisis.
Somchai Sawaengkarn, an appointed senator, said the attacks showed that the government was failing in the intelligence operations.
He said it was worrying that the violence had spread to the tourist town of Hat Yai and might later extend to airports or even Bangkok.
Somchai said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra should pay more attention to the problems in the deep South.
