Prem urges top brass to let go differences and work together
Chairman of the Privy Council, Gen Prem Thinsulanonda, has urged senior police and military officers to let go their differences and work together to bring an end to the political disorder in the country.
Speaking to the top brass from various agencies who gathered at the Royal Thai Army Clubhouse to wish him a happy new year, Prem struck on a strong nationalistic note as he called on the officers to sacrifice their "flesh and blood" for the defence of the nation and not to let any part of the country be separated. He stressed the importance of unity in policy and agenda among the agencies and added that the situation in the deep south demands it. He urged the officials to explain to the senior officials at the function to explain to the general public that the problem in the restive south is a "dispute between Thai people like us here and people who identify themselves as Thai only in term of citizenship". The latter, said Prem, are "trouble makers" who lacked the "spirit of Thainess in their body". "If Thai people have these two qualities - the Thainess inside of you and a sense of justice inside you - we can overcome anything," Prem said. "The problem at this particular juncture is rooted in the absence of these two qualities - Thainess and justice," Prem said. "Reconciliation can only occurs only if and when we understands the true meaning of the word. Goodwill towards one another can only take place if we respect our differences," Prem said. Violence in the restive region has claimed more than 1,900 lives, mostly Muslims, since January 2004. Authority blamed a new generation of separatists for much of the violence that include attacks and the killings of innocent civilians, including teachers and monks. The violence have pitted the Malayspeaking community against the state agencies who they accused of heavyhandedness, including target killings of suspects. Meanwhile, Pradit Rasitanin, director of education ministry's inspector general's office, said the number of casualties of education personnel continues to rise despite tightening security measures at schools and improved protection for teachers. He said militants have burned down more than 110 schools in the restive region and killed 71 teachers and other school officials over the past three years. Over the threeyear period arsonists have attacked 54 schools in Narathiwat, 23 in Pattani and 33 in Yala, said Pradit. The Nation
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