Security chiefs meet to counter terrorism
Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin met yesterday with top brass from across the country to map out preventive measures to counter bomb attacks and draft a contingency plan for relevant agencies
The meeting came amid unconfirmed reports that Bangkok could face more bomb attacks by either Muslim insurgents from the deep South or people with other motives, like the blasts on New Year's Eve that killed three and injured about 40 others. Army First Area commander, Lt-General Prayuth Chan-ocha, said it was important for all the agencies to understand how to prepare themselves for crises such as a major bomb attack. The meeting aimed to draft a contingency plan for such scenarios, Prayuth said. However, the First Area commander distanced himself from a recent statement by Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas that Muslim insurgents had infiltrated universities in Bangkok and could be planning attacks in Bangkok. Prayuth said the Army had not received any intelligence report that Muslim insurgents from the deep South had shifted to Bangkok. However, he said the authorities could not be complacent. All law enforcement agencies must work extra hard, he said, adding the Army was ready to assist them. The defence minister yesterday said the government's enemies would try to incite violence in the near future. "The situation will become volatile sometime between March and April," he said.
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