PM Orders News Media Vigilance as South Unrest Escalates
Prime Minister Anutin has ordered heightened media vigilance as violence escalates in southern border provinces, with security forces investigating attacks that have damaged property at 15 locations following the deaths of five rangers.
At 11:10 a.m. on August 24, Chatrchai Bangcherd, secretary-general of the National Security Council, discussed orders from Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Interior Minister following a security briefing on unrest in southern border provinces. He said today's meeting assessed the situation and involved coordination with Region 4 Military Command, which is tracking and identifying the perpetrator groups. When asked how authorities would close loopholes enabling such incidents, Chatrchai said he believed Region 4 was working at full capacity, especially in post-incident response and crowd control measures deployed since the incidents occurred. He emphasized that the primary goal is protecting public safety, as the violence directly affects citizens, businesses, and local government organizations. He noted the goal is to minimize public impact and ensure safety.
When asked if the frequency of attacks revealed special factors, Chatrchai said the issue is not new and similar incidents have occurred multiple times before. Groups in the area may engage in symbolic retaliation against the state following the deaths of five rangers, resulting in security force responses, though without fatalities in some cases. He cautioned against inflating incident counts, saying authorities must assess severity rather than treating every minor act, such as burning car tires, as a separate incident.
When asked about concerns that violence might target the cabinet's mobile meeting in Songkhla, Chatrchai said he was not worried and that security forces were fully prepared and coordinating with local units and Region 4 Command. Regarding what the perpetrators seek, Chatrchai noted no deaths had occurred so far, with property damage at approximately 15 locations; other incidents involved tire burning. He said police and Region 4 forces are investigating who was involved. On coordination with Malaysia to intercept fleeing suspects, he noted Malaysia had already tightened border security this year and mentioned potential crossing closures, but believed the current unrest originated from inside Thailand.
When asked whether reports linked the violence to youth groups or older networks, Chatrchai said it was mixed and could not be pinned solely on BRN, as other rogue actors were involved. He noted that some targets were local government offices, suggesting investigators must examine why these were chosen and why incidents were not targeting civilians directly.
