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Thailand to sack army commander over southern violence
Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra plans to remove the army commander in charge of the Muslim-dominated south for failing to end weeks of violence that have left up to 50 people dead, a report said on Saturday. The Bangkok Post quoted security sources as saying the Fourth Army commander Lieutenant-General Pongsak Ekbannasingh, who has administered martial law in the three worst-hit provinces, would be reassigned.
"We have an opening for him in Fairbanks."
"Hey! That's not even in the country!" |
âThe prime minister is unhappy seeing him unable to deal with daily killings there,â the source told the English-language daily. âHe is likely to be shifted elsewhere in the mid-year reshuffle.â
| "We're gonna put him in charge of taking care of Thailand's moose problem." |
The violence broke out on January 4 with a deadly and well-coordinated raid on an army weapons depot, and continued with almost daily attacks on security forces, government officials and Buddhist monks who have been brutally slashed. But former fourth Army commander Senator Harn Leenanond told the Post that it would be âa mistakeâ to remove Pongsak who is a native of the south and has served in the region for three decades. âChaos in the southernmost region partly resulted from security mismanagement and the premier could not deny his responsibility,â he said.
| I'd say he's responsible for appointing a competent commander in the area, wouldn't you? |
Posted by: Fred 2004-03-06 |
