BANGKOK, Feb 18 – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gave a green light to the planned enforcement of the Internal Security Act in the insurgency-torn southern border region in the wake of a spate of bombings in Pattani province over the weekend.
National Security Council Secretary-General Paradorn Pattanathabutr spoke to reporters after a security meeting chaired by the premier here today. He said security agencies are confident that the measure would win over more insurgents to surrender after a dozen of them turned themselves in recently.
Enforcement of the law would not worsen the situation, he said, but would comply with the government’s approach to tackle the problem through peaceful means. The ISA is felt to be less severe than other measures and that will help win more cooperation from local residents.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung conceded that the premier took him to task for being hesitant to tackle the long-running problem.
“The premier rebuked me for my unwillingness in solving the problem. She also instructed me to go down South and keep her updated periodically about integrated intelligence work,” Mr Chalerm said.
The deputy premier said he might visit the region on assignment after the Bangkok gubernatorial election on March 3.
He said the meeting also discussed the premier’s planned visit to Malaysia on Feb 28.
