BANGKOK, Dec 17 — Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-Gen Udomchai Thamsarorach said today that the government’s security agencies have mobilised forces to provide safety protection for educators around the clock in the southernmost provinces.
He said the security forces work 24 hours a day, every day for the safety of teachers and other “soft targets” including Buddhist monks.
However, he admitted that the military alone could not provide security for all areas as there are many routes and a wide range of areas in the southern border provinces.
Gen Udomchai urged the public to give a helping hand to protect lives of teachers as they play a vital role in educating children.
He added that the military is hard at work every day, no matter whether holidays or not, and he is confident that the situation in the southern provinces would be better next year.
Meanwhile, all schools in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala as well as four districts of Songkhla reopened normally amid tight security.
However, not all students have come to school as there was heavy rain in Narathiwat.
The schools were closed Thursday and Friday to permit security agencies to assess their operations in providing teacher protection, after two teachers were killed when insurgents invaded a school lunchroom at Baan Bango School in Mayo district on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra made an inspection trip to Pattani on Thursday and listened to concerns of educators from several southern provinces. Teachers demanded better security measures following the murder of several of their colleagues and local residents in the past few weeks.
Ms Yingluck promised to provide them full welfare, risk and rehabilitation payments.
