Thai PM to visit Malaysia next month for talks on southern insurgency
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will visit Malaysia next month to seek closer cooperation on tackling the southern insurgency and curbing cross-border militant activities amid a recent surge in violence in Thailand's southernmost provinces.
National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Chatchai Bangchuad said Anutin will raise the issue with his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, during his visit to Kuala Lumpur on July 9-10.
Chatchai said he welcomed Malaysia's recent crackdown on its citizens crossing into Thailand through illegal border routes, describing it as a positive sign that Kuala Lumpur is taking security problems in Thailand's deep South more seriously.
"I have long wanted to see Malaysia attach greater importance to the southern insurgency," he said.
The porous border between southern Thailand and northern Malaysia has long been exploited by insurgents seeking temporary refuge from security operations by Thailand's Fourth Army Region.
Many militants hold dual Thai-Malaysian citizenship or have relatives in Malaysia, allowing them to cross the border or remain there with relative ease.
Several key members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the main insurgent group engaged in Malaysian-facilitated peace talks with the Thai government, are also believed to be residing in Malaysia.
The planned visit comes amid a recent surge in violence in Thailand's southern border provinces, including bombings and shootings targeting government officials and public infrastructure.
Among the latest attacks was a bombing at a petrol station in Yala province on June 28.
Two Malaysian tourists were injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district yesterday.
Interior Permanent Secretary Orasit Samphantharat yesterday visited the site of the bombing, where the tourists were injured and their vehicle was badly damaged.
A preliminary investigation found that some components used to make the roughly 70kg improvised explosive device (IED) are not available in Thailand.
The bomb had been hidden inside a roadside culvert and was detonated remotely by militants hiding nearby,
police said.
Investigators believe the attackers intended to target an armoured military vehicle, but the blast struck the tourists' car after it overtook the military vehicle.