Opposition politicians involved in crimes in South: Chalerm

The situation in the South was complicated by the fact that some politicians operated illegal businesses such as oil smuggling and gambling in the provinces bordering Malaysia, Chalerm said. Such illegal businesses had implications for the security situation, he said.
Drug traffickers from the North also have dealings in the South, he said. The military on the ground is aware of this illicit business and is reporting on it to the government as usual, the deputy premier said.
Democrat MP from Yala Prasert Phongsuwansiri raised an objection and demanded that Chalerm name the politicians involved in illicit business. Such general smear tactics could hurt the reputations of innocent politicians from the southern border provinces, he said.
Democrat MP from Narathiwat Jeharming Tohtayong said the government should take legal action against those politicians known by Chalerm to be involved in smuggling.
Chalerm said he would not name any politicians, and was simply informing Parliament that such illegal business complicated the troubles in the South.
The current spate of violence in the deep South erupted in early 2004. Chalerm said there are as many as 9,400 insurgents, supporters and sympathisers involved in it. The government knew their operational structure and leaders but cannot reveal the details to Parliament or the public, he said.
As a result of Wednesday’s meeting of a newly established government operations centre, dubbed Pentagon II by Chalerm and later the media, the Air Force would dispatch two DA42 aircraft to conduct aerial reconnaissance and photography officials said. The aircraft are capable of day and night sorties.
Air Force commander Itthiphorn Suphawong said two AU23 attack aircraft based in Songkhla’s Hat Yai were already carrying out aerial reconnaissance and photography, in addition to their default role as attack aircraft. Also, a few C130s were regularly flying cargo sorties, while Air Force infantry units secured many airbases in the region, including its own base at Bor Thong in Pattani.
The military leadership and key Cabinet members in charge of the centre will today visit a number of areas in the deep South. Their itinerary has not been disclosed due to security concerns. Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha said he was not deterred by intelligence reports that insurgents are now aiming to kill VIP targets.
In Narathiwat, a raid on five target areas turned up six suspects thought to have been planning an attack. The six men are Muslims, some of whom were found to possess firearms and munitions, as well as homemade narcotics, at their homes. The six were apprehended after they got off a train and were preparing to stay with relatives in Rusoh district.
Earlier, an explosive device detonated near a Narathiwat school, triggering panic and prompting its closure. No casualties were reported.
School director Somjit Thongjinda said a student alerted her that a suspicious object had been found under stone benches in front of the school canteen, where Border Patrol policemen took a rest during lunch. She immediately alerted a bomb squad, sealed off the area and moved 267 students and teachers away from the scene.
When the squad arrived and was approaching the benches, the insurgents, apparently in hiding near the school, triggered the explosive. The blast blew a hole two feet deep and three feet wide. No one was injured and only the benches suffered damage.