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| Southeast Asia | |
| Thai army chief apologizes to southerners | |
| 2011-03-24 | |
| Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has apologised for the "lack of understanding and care" that led to many deaths in the Tak Bai and Krue Se crackdowns in 2004. "I admit I am upset. I have to apologise on behalf of the army," he stated yesterday. On April 28, 2004, the army gunned down 32 people inside the Krue Se mosque in Pattani province after it was taken over by insurgents. On Oct 25 the same year, 78 people who had been arrested while demonstrating outside Tak Bai police station in Narathiwat province suffocated while being transported to Ingkayuthboriharn base in Pattani province. Gen Prayuth apologised yesterday in an speech to 600 Muslim villagers from the southern provinces. They gathered at the Thai Army Club in Bangkok yesterday to join a career training program. Gen Prayuth said, "The two incidents should not have happened. I apologise to all southerners, especially relatives of the dead, even though at the time I was not yet in this position. "The incidents happened partly because of carelessness on the part of the authorities. I promise not to let anything like that happen again," he said. Gen Prayuth said that in dealing with problems in the South he did not want any loss of life. "But soldiers alone cannot solve this problem. Everyone must lend a helping hand. No matter what, the three provinces cannot be separated or given self-rule because that would be against the constitution," he said. Gen Prayuth admitted the army was not able to provide enough security as the insurgents had infiltrated a large area. However, local residents who cooperated with authorities were helping to restore peace.
The villagers do not want the 30th Narathiwat Task Force, which has helped to protect their neighbourhoods in Rueso, to be replaced by the 24th Pattani Task Force. They fear the newcomers may be unfamiliar with the area. | |
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