Coordinated effort in deep South to tackle militancy
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Efforts to tackle insurgency in the South are now well-coordinated thanks to the solidarity of state agencies at governmental and local levels under the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration, said Panu Uthairat, the secretary-general of the Southern Border Pro
The success followed the government’s decision to put southern insurgency among its top national-agenda proprieties, Panu said in an exclusive interview. Over the past four months, he said 11 development and security projects worth Bt106 million had been carried out by SBPAC and Internal Security Operations Command. They included installing security cameras, streetlights and combating drugs.
He said the project to deliver SBPAC’s work at a district level was initiated to carry out security measures and other policies issued by the central government.
Under this project, district chiefs in the southern border provinces wore two hats – one was handling administration and the other was co-managing state operations with the ISOC.
After taking control of the country, the National Council for Peace and Order restructured the SBPAC at three levels. Changes to the agency can now be made from policy level (managed by Prayut), at middle-management level (managed by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan), and at operation level (managed by Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-General Prakan Chonlayuth).
Prakan also serves as director of ISOC’S Region 4 front command, which is the centre for running security operations. Ministry works related to the southern border provinces are also co-managed by Prakan. “All units work together with solidarity after the restructuring,’’ Panu said.
Of Bt25 billion allocated from the 2015 fiscal budget to battling insurgency, the SBPAC received Bt7.2 billion, the ISOC Bt8 billion, and ministries Bt10 billion. Panu said for the first three months, 35 per cent of the budget would be used for the Community Plan Project.
He said because there was now strong solidarity between concerned agencies, projects under the plan could be fast-tracked. For example, formulation of the Thung Yang Daeng model after six schools in Pattani were burnt down by insurgents on October 12.
He said model was created after SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) was carried out to increase efficiency in preventing arson from recurring.
Under the model, all schools in Thung Yang Daeng and 100 schools nearby to have an alarm system installed. The Education Ministry also planned to install security cameras in schools at risk of insurgent attacks.
The SBPAC would support the project by granting the acquisition of security camera worth Bt5,000 each for 100 schools. In terms of winning the hearts of locals in order to get them to help the government solve insurgency problems, he said talks had been carried out with villagers to make them aware that they could be part of the solution.
“The villagers agree that they must give a hand, otherwise they or their families would one day lose loved ones,’’ he said.
A survey by Yala Rajabhat University found that over the past four months, 54 per cent of people said insurgency was declining and 73 per cent were confident in the government’s security measures, Panu said.
