THAILAND: PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN PROMISES AID TO BOMB HIT SOUTHERN REGION OF THAILAND

Record ID: 358782

  • Title: THAILAND: PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN PROMISES AID TO BOMB HIT SOUTHERN REGION OF THAILAND
  • Date: 26th August 2004
  • Summary: (U2) PATTANI, THAILAND (AUGUST 27, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF STREET OUTSIDE STADIUM WITH SOLDIERS GUARDING AREA 0.05 2. VARIOUS OF SOLDIER PATROLLING STREETS IN ARMOURED CAR 0.16 3. SLV MORE OF SOLDIERS GUARDING AREA 0.22 4. VARIOUS OF LOCALS GOING THROUGH SECURITY CHECKS 0.33 5. WIDE OF TEMPLE GROUNDS 0.36
  • Embargoed: 10th September 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PATTANI, YALA AND NARATHIWAT, THAILAND
  • Country: Thailand
  • Reuters ID: LVA5PRG158R3M3RN2K8VYR4YJG0O
  • Story Text: PM Thaksin pledges aid to bomb-hit Muslim south
    during a tour of the troubled region.




    Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised to
    reverse Bangkok's neglect of Thailand's rebellious Muslim
    south on Friday (August 27) during a tour of the troubled
    region where more than 320 people have been killed this year.

    A day after a bomb set off by mobile phone killed one
    person and wounded 30 in the region, Thaksin toured Thailand's three
    southernmost provinces, under extraordinarily tight security.

    Two heavily armed helicopters flew above his
    kilometre-long motorcade and hundreds of heavily armed
    police and soldiers guarded the roads along which he would
    travel.

    Thaksin told reporters he blamed radical Muslim
    teachers for the violence, and promised free pilgrimages to
    Mecca for Muslim informants turning in those behind the
    recent spate of attacks.

    But his main promises were for programmes to tackle
    poverty and improve education in one of Thailand's poorest
    areas.

    "The root cause of the problem is that this part of
    Thailand has been neglected in terms of development,
    poverty eradication and property education," Thaksin told
    reporters after his speech in the stadium.

    He said a new government programme focused on economic
    development and a more centralised education system was
    necessary to deal with the problem.

    Thaksin insists that radical Muslim teachers are behind
    the unrest -- although many analysts say it is unclear who
    or what is driving the violence -- and that their networks
    are being dismantled with the support of Muslim communities.

    "There are some of those religious teachers who are
    really out of the normal Koran and do the misinterpretation
    for their own purpose. And that groups of persons cause the
    problem, and the problem would not happen if it were to be
    well-developed," he said.

    The spate of violence erupted on January 4 when armed
    men raided an army camp in the area, killed four soldiers
    and stole nearly 400 M-16 assault rifles.

    Since then bomb attacks on central government symbols
    such as state buildings, and deadly ambushes of security
    officers, have become daily occurrences in the deep south,
    where many people speak Malay, not Thai.

    Thaksin, a former police colonel and telecommunications
    tycoon, showed little concern about travelling around a
    region where a low-key separatist war was fought in the
    1970s and 1980s.

    He said he felt "no fear", and said it was still safe
    to travel in Thailand.

    "Even though it has some problems, it's really limited
    in these three provinces, that's it," he said, showing
    confidence the problem would not spread.

    "Confident. I am here, I am here with you, okay," he
    joked with reporters.

    Thailand's four southernmost provinces have been hit by
    at least five explosions in the past week. Most were
    remote-controlled bombs triggered by mobile phones, police said.

    Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who is in
    charge of national security, said on Thursday (August 26)
    that he expected more attacks like the bomb hidden on a
    motorcycle that exploded in a busy market on Thursday.

    The wounded included six policemen, seven marines,
    shoppers and schoolchildren.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register