Thai government says security situation in restive South is improving

BANGKOK, Jan 16 (TNA) - Despite the killing of another teacher in the far South on Saturday which was the eve of the Thai National Teachers’ Day, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban who supervises security affairs has insisted that security situations in the Muslim-dominated region are improving in general.
Suthep made the remark when the death toll of local teachers in Pattani reached 138 after serious southern insurgency had started in 2004. Another local teacher was shot dead in the southern border province yesterday which was the eve of the National Teachers’ Day in Thailand.
Insisting that overall security situations were improving in the far South, the Thai deputy premier said the number of insurgents’ attacks and the deaths of people and government officials drop considerably. He said he was satisfied with peace-keeping operations in the region and concerned officials were taking right actions. However, Suthep admitted that the officials would have to keep adjusting their operations to suit changing situations.
Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senniam went to the auditorium of Yala Rajabhat University in Yala province today to preside over an event to mark the National Teachers’ Day. He told a gathering of over 1,000 teachers and educational personnel that he always urged security and administrative authorities to prioritise the safety of teachers in southern border provinces. He also urged local teachers to take precautions and inform security authorities before leaving their places.
The deputy minister said teachers should not travel alone in deserted areas because insurgents were trying to create losses. (TNA)