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Published on October 8, 2007

New Army commander-in-chief General Anupong Paochinda led top brass on an official visit to the three southernmost provinces.

Anupong left Bangkok yesterday morning on a special military flight, accompanied by his deputy, General Veeravit Khusamran, assistants Generals Tirawat Boonyapradab and Jiradej Khojarat and his chief of staff General Montri Chompujan.

Also travelling were Army Regions 1, 2 and 3 commanders. Anupong said he planned to gather first-hand information on military operations against the insurgency so that he could improve handling of the crisis.

"We will try our best; the situation must get better. Although top-level commanders will supervise operations, they will keep their distance so as not to foul unity among local unit commanders," he said.

Anupong saw no need to change the South security policy set by his predecessor General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

Meanwhile, suspected separatists killed three people over the weekend.

In Yala, a 14-year-old Muslim boy was shot dead yesterday by four militants as he walked to a friend's house.

On Saturday, a 54-year-old Muslim man was killed by gunmen in Pattani while in Narathiwat a 53-year-old Muslim man was shot dead outside his home, also by suspected insurgents.

More than 2,600 people have been killed since the separatist insurgency broke out in the Muslim-majority South in January 2004.

Police in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla said yesterday they had stepped up security checks to prevent insurgents from smuggling explosives after finding 17 home-made devices in public places on Saturday.