'Bomb control centre' to be set up in Yala
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A control centre will be set up in the southern border province of Yala to help prevent bomb attacks in the restive region, a spokesperson for the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) said.
Colonel Rapaskul Rodthip, deputy Isoc spokesperson, said the centre will be staffed with bomb experts and officials who will collect information about suspected bomb-storage sites as well as people believed to be assembling explosive devices. The control centre will be set up as part of Isoc’s advance unit in the deep South.
The information collected will benefit investigation into bomb attacks, which are on the rise, she said. In the 2013 fiscal year, a total of 126 explosive devices had been destroyed, 187 stores of explosives detected and 18 bombing devices defused.
The bomb control centre will be located inside the southern border police command in Yala, Rapaskul said, adding that it will go into operation in the fiscal year 2014, which began on October 1.
Separately, the government is ready to postpone the next round of peace talks with southern separatist movement Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) on the advice of the Army chief, Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog said yesterday.
He said the National Security Council (NSC) should assess this matter as it is directly in charge of the peace talks. NSC secretary-general Paradorn Pattanatabutr has been leading peace negotiations with representatives of the BRN and the fifth round had been scheduled for October 20.
Army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha had said earlier that the next round of talks should be postponed until relevant agencies make a decision about the five proposals made by the BRN.
Pracha said yesterday that there was good reason to listen to the advice given by the Army chief, adding that relevant agencies needed to discuss BRN’s demands among themselves first. The agencies include the NSC, Internal Security Operations Command, the Royal Thai Police and Southern Border Province Administration Centre.
He said it was likely that Thai authorities would also allow other separatist groups to get involved in the talks, with Malaysia acting as the facilitator. The BRN has suggested that groups like Pulo and Bersatu also be included in the talks.
