Nationality verifying centre opens for ex-insurgents
A centre has been opened in a military fort in Pattani for verifying the nationality of former insurgents who return from Malaysia, an Army major general said on Wednesday.
Maj-General Jatuporn Kalampasut, commander of the Pattani Taskforce, said the centre has been opened at the 44th Ranger Regiment after the Army kicked off the project to bring home those Thais who had given up the insurgency.
Jatuporn said the project had hit a snag because most of them have no Thai identification card.
As a result, this centre had been set up, with the Interior Ministry taking charge of the operation. Police and the Central Forensic Science Institute have also sent officials to help in the verification process.
Jatuporn said former insurgents would be interrogated and a sample of their DNA would be compared with a sample from their relatives.
Safiee Jeloh, chairman of the Narathiwat Islamic Committee, said if the Thai authorities successfully verify the nationality of returning insurgents and issue them Thai ID cards, they will get jobs and settle down in the deep South of Thailand.
Saifee said their example would encourage more insurgents to give up arms and enter the programme to return home.