Army chief calls for ministries to help

The army chief made his remarks as insurgents stepped up attacks in the region in the previous weeks. More violence is expected as approaching is the eighth anniversary of Tak Bai massacre this Thursday.
Gen Prayuth said insurgents conducted the attacks to demonstrate their capacity to stage violence. He noted concerned agencies have to review situations in the past whether there was any injustice or conflicts, particularly in Narathiwat's Ruso and Bacho districts, which are violence-prone areas.
The army chief added participation of local people is still insufficient, given the roadside bombing this morning. He said it is impossible that residents in the area did not see when the assailants dug into the road to plant bomb as it would take several hours to finish, yet no one alerted security officials of the matter.
The attack on a Narathiwat road during the weekend killed a solider driving armoured personnel carrier and seriously injured three others in the vehicle.

Gen Prayuth said if the situation continues like this, violence will also continue in the area. The army chief also called on 66 relevant agencies of 17 ministries to visit the deep South, not only commanders from the headquarters in the capital and not to rely only on army operations.

Gen Prayuth said the army can only enforce the law, but public understanding may not easily happen without more cooperation and existence of concerned agencies in the violence-plagued areas.

Regarding websites registered in Malaysia publishing content deemed to be attacking the Thai government and the army's strategies in the southern border region, Gen Prayuth said it is the duty of Thai police to seek court orders for the closure of these controversial websites, not the army