People in Thai far South urged to cooperate with authorities

BANGKOK, August 23 (TNA) - Defence Minister Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat has urged people in the violence-hit Thai far South to cooperate with state authorities and to protect themselves, in parallel with security services provided by state officers. Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol suggested Thursday, before attending a meeting of the Defence Council with Royal Thai Armed Forces leaders, that people in the Thai deep South cooperate with state authorities and try to protect themselves, as militants have changed their targets. The defence minister said that the Royal Thai Police is quickly recruiting decommissioned soldiers to work in the country's troubled southern border region, which should support the military’s proactive approach to limit militants' actions. (TNA)