Army chief in south to boost morale
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Army chief Gen Prayuth Chanocha travelled to the province of Narathiwat in the deep south on Tuesday to boost the morale of local officials there following last week's car bombing.
Commenting on the recent violence, Gen Prayuth said this occurs every year during the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan. Suspected insurgents instigate violence and distort Islamic teaching. The army chief said it needs time and advanced technology to quell the violence.
Only 30,000 closedcircuit television cameras have been installed to date Special laws applied in violenceaffected areas have facilitated the authorities’ operations but the laws are not fully enforced, he said.
Regarding the controversial GT200 bomb detector, which scientific tests concluded to be ineffective, the army chief said the army accepted the result but the device is still in use in the southern border region as there is no other device to replace it.
Last Friday's car bomb injured eight people and set a commercial building in Narathiwat on fire. The 50kilogram bomb placed in a pickup truck was set off shortly after 6am in front of a computer shop.
