BANGKOK, Dec 13 – Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung today admitted anxiety over his latest assignment to fight against the southern insurgency, saying he would have turned down the job if Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had informed him before the appointment.
“I will make an inspection trip to the South now that my fear (of the southern violence) has subsided. I was initially concerned but I feel less anxious since the prime minister officially instructed me to do the job. I won’t tell you why I was afraid,” he said.
Mr Chalerm, who was appointed director of the Operations Centre on Strategic Policy and Solutions to Problems in Southern Provinces, said the government is determined to solve the southern problems and it has so far fared better than the previous government under the Democrat Party.
“We have not failed as claimed by some people,” he insisted.
Citing insufficient manpower to cope with the southern crisis, the deputy premier said he has instructed the governors of five southern provinces to assign more peacekeeping personnel to subdistrict and village leaders since they know their neighbourhoods best.
In his new capacity as director of the operations centre, Mr Chalerm said he will evaluate the authorities’ performance every six months, and the situation every 24 hours in order to improve regular operations without having to restructure the centre.
He said he will also invite Democrat MP Tavorn Senniam to seek advice and exchange information on resolutions to southern problems as well as hold talks with high-level people in the field.
The southern violence has worsened and hundreds of state-run schools are closed again following a spate of attacks, many fatal, against teachers, civilians and government personnel in the past few weeks.
