New Army chief promises to continue with reforms
At a meeting on Tuesday, new Army chief General Narongphan Jitkaewtae announced that he will continue his predecessor’s reform policies and called on unit commanders to abide by the principles of protecting the nation, the religion, the King and the people.
He also called on unit chiefs to boost awareness among their subordinates of welfare and financial services provided by the Army to ensure shooting sprees like the one in Nakhon Ratchasima do not occur again.
On February 8, a soldier shot dead his commander over a property dispute and then stole weapons to go on a shooting spree, killing 30 people and injuring 57 others. The soldier was eventually shot dead by security forces.
Narongphan said the Army will develop an application to help open channels of communication between commanders and their subordinates, adding that the call centre has received few complaints and most problems have already been solved.
“I believe reform means solving something that is imperfect, so we have to continue reforming the Army no matter how long it takes,” he said.
He also called on all Army units to help people affected by natural disasters or outbreaks without waiting for orders, because the Army’s duty is to support the people.
“We also urge the border defence forces to prevent the smuggling of drugs and illegal migrants. The country has 94 border checkpoints and 1,035 natural channels, so the defence forces, police officers and government officials must always be on the alert for incoming threats,” he said.