Schools reopen, security is beefed up in Thai far South

NARATHIWAT, THAILAND, May 14 (TNA) - As schools in the Thai far South are reopening for the new semester, local officers have beefed up their security measures to protect students, educational personnel at their schools, as well as nearby areas and along their traffic routes. In Narathiwat Province, for instance, combined police, military, administrative and village defence forces have jointly guarded 379 local schools, all of which were set to reopen for the new semester by early next week. The combined security forces have also patrolled both main and bypass traffic routes linking local communities with the schools to boost safety confidence of local teachers, schools' staff, students and local people. Meanwhile, Narathiwat Governor Natthapong Sirichana told journalists on Thursday that local security officers from all areas have met with executives of each school, most of whom were satisfied with existing security measures. The provincial governor said he has suggested that local people also participate in providing public safety, together with teachers and all other parties concerned. (TNA)