Policemen under training to replace troops in deep South
Some 3,500 policemen have been undergoing intensive training as part of a long-term plan for the police and militia force to take over from the military in maintaining peace and order in the violence-prone deep South.
A total of 1,698 newly-recruited police officers who were selected from army reservists and paramilitary rangers who used to serve in the three southernmost provinces and four districts of Songkhla have been undergoing training at the Thanarat barrack in Prachuab Khiri Khan. The training course takes four months for basic training and another month for terrain familiarization training to make the officers get used to the areas where they are to operate.
On top of that, a total of 1,907 non-commissioned police officers have also been trained at the Border Patrol Police units across the country to prepare themselves for assignments at police stations in the deep South. The training takes six months.
All these police officers will replace army troops who are to be gradually withdrawn from the restive region as earlier announced by Army Commander-in-Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Currently, there are over 30,000 army troops playing the key role in combating the militant gangs and maintaining security.
On January 8, the Songkhla Task Force officially handed over the authority to oversee security affairs in Jana and Na Thawee districts of Songkhla to the provincial Internal Security Operations Command office under the supervision of the provincial governor.
Songkhla Task Force commander Maj-Gen Noppawong Suravichai said that the unrest situation in the two districts has improved satisfactorily to the extent that civilian administration should be able to take care of the security problem.
However, the handover of authority from the army to the provincial administration does not mean that army troops stationed in the two districts would be pulled out. In fact, they will continue to be based there as auxiliary force.
Besides the phased military withdrawal which is being implemented, the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) has introduced a new plan, officially called Tambon Santitham, aims to strengthen the capability of the local administrative bodies in maintaining peace and order in their respective communities.
The new plan was disclosed by SBPAC chief Pol Col Thawee Sodsong during a meeting with kamnan from 282 tambons in the three southernmost provinces and four districts of Songkhla late last year.
Under the plan, each tambon will be allocated with one million baht budget which will be used to purchase security-related equipments such as surveillance cameras and communications gears.
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Caption : The Songkhla Task Force officially handed over the authority to oversee security affairs in Jana and Na Thawee districts of Songkhla to the provincial Internal Security Operations Command office under the supervision of the provincial governor, on January 8
Photo by Sumeth Panpeth