Thai, Malaysian PMs make historic visit to strife-torn region

NARATHIWAT, Dec 9 (TNA) –  Security in this southernmost border province of Thailand has been tightened for the landmark visit of the Thai and Malaysian prime ministers Wednesday morning as almost simultaneous attacks continue to rock the region where nearly 4,000 persons have been killed since 2004.

Several bomb attacks occurred in the southern border province prior to the prime ministers’ visit to the region.

In Yala, one police officer and two local defence volunteers were wounded when a decoy attracted official attention, leading them into the path of a booby trap in Krongpinang district.

Officials were inspecting a suspicious object covered with white cloth with a message in the local Yawi (Thai Malay) dialect when an attacker detonated a bomb from some 50 metres away from the site. The suspicious object turned out to be a dummy bomb. All the wounded were evacuated to hospital.

At almost the same time a suspicious object was found in front of a mosque.

Police closed the road near the mosque while clearing and inspecting the area.

In Pattani, a bomb exploded while eight soldiers of a teacher protection unit were patrolling a route to provide security for teachers. No one was wounded in the incident.

Speaking before accompanying Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak to Narathiwat, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban downplayed the continuing violence, saying that security measures are in place and there is no cause for concern during the two leaders’ visit.

The Thai and Malaysian leaders will witness a ceremony renaming a bridge spanning the river bordering the two countries as the “Friendship Bridge” and visit a Muslim school.

Both leaders agreed to continue implementing the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in Thailand’s southern border provinces under the earlier designated 3Es Approach concerning education, employment and entrepreneurship, in order to promote socio-economic development in those areas.

Mr Abhisit on Tuesday expressed confidence that the official visit to Thailand by his Malaysian counterpart ending Wednesday would help strengthen bilateral relations between the neighbouring countries.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Thai government in honour of the visiting Malaysian leader at Government House, Mr Abhisit said the visit would pave the way for closer cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia, particularly regarding economic affairs.

He said Thailand and Malaysia cooperated closely in the border areas in terms of education and employment.

“Thailand is ready to address the southern unrest in a just and peaceful manner,” Mr Abhisit said. “Malaysia is not only our neighbouring country, but it is also a partner under the ASEAN cooperation framework. With the leadership of the Malaysian premier, we are confident it will help boost bilateral ties of both countries.

“The world is changing. We need to monitor the global situation.  We must cooperate with each other to ensure ASEAN leadership in the region,” Mr Abhisit affirmed.

The two prime ministers had discussed the situation in Thailand’s restive South and condemned the perpetration of violence by individuals and ill-intentioned groups against innocent civilians in the region, particularly women and children. Malaysia reaffirmed its support for the resolution of the problems through peaceful means.

However, the Malaysian leader insisted that the insurgency in the southern border provinces is Thailand’s internal issue, but Malaysia is ready to support Thailand in tackling the problem when being requested.

“Malaysia stands ready to be your partner but a partner who will respect that this is essentially a domestic problem for Thailand,” Mr Najib said.(TNA)