Government recruits more police for Thai far South

BANGKOK, November 4 (TNA) - A government committee tasked with solutions to southern border provinces has approved in principle to recruit additional 2,000 police, distribute 2,700 guns to volunteers and set up a naval paramilitary ranger regiment to tackle insurgency in the Thai far South. Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Spokesman Colonel Banpot Punpian told journalists of the moves on Tuesday. Colonel Banpot said the committee's meeting on Monday decided that additonal 1,000 police will be recruited from locals in all 14 southern Thai provinces, while the other half will be recruited from other regions. The spokesman stated that the committee also approved the ISOC's proposal on handing 2,700 HK33 rifles to defence volunteers in the violence-plagued deep South and the Royal Thai Army will distribute them through the Ministry of Interior. Besides, the committee endorsed the Ministry of Defence's over 1.7 billion baht-proposed plan on the establishment of a new naval paramilitary ranger regiment over the two years to support state security operations in the southern border provinces. Meanwhile, Commanding General of the 4th Army Area Command Lieutenant General Prakan Cholayuth told reporters that the overall situation in the southernmost Thai region has been improving, as a number of local people now support state security operations. (TNA)