SongkhlaProvince Insurgency/Security

[GWR]

Parents rush to pick up children from schools following rumours

Rumours that explosives were planted in some schools in Songkhla province have caused panic among parents who rushed to pick up their children from schools.

The rumours was widespread Tuesday, a few days after spontaneous bomb blasts rocked Hat Yai city on Songkhla, killing four and injured over 70 people.

Sommai Kwanthongyim, director of Songkhla Kindergarten School, said many classes have to be cancelled because the parents came and take their children back home after learning of the rumours.

"At first, teachers were surprised to see many parents came to school and said something about explosives. We have not yet been informed of the explosives. In some classes, teachers were teaching when parents entered the classes to take their children," he said.

It was parents' rights to do so, Sommai said, adding therefore some classes had to be cancelled.

He was also informed that many schools in Songkhla municipality have to cancel their classes because upon hearing the rumours, parents rushed to the schools to pick up their children.

The Nation


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/19/headlines/headlines_30014026.php

[GWR]

PM's Secretary-General Prommin Lertsuridej said caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would instruct ministers concerned to speed up the installation of security cameras in Hat Yai.

The Nation


They are obviously either very unobtrusive - I've detected one so far - or not yet installed. Might not measures to boost public alertness work better than gadgets that break down and line the pockets of government supporters. Me thinks the tourist industry is going to have to bite the bullet and accept more overt security measures, for its own long-term good.

There is already some evidence that reliability and maintainence are a problem, although this shouldn't really be a problem in urban areas or public buildings, banks and shops; -

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1744

[BangkokPundit]

GWR: CCTV cameras are the way to go. I am not sure how much they would prevent attacks, but they can correctly identify people later. It is much easier for a court - not sure on the admissibility of such evidence in the Thai judicial system - to rely on a camera's word that someone was at the scene than an eyewitness. This also goes to people's confidence in the judiciary system.

Since this thread is on technology the police need to use cameras to record any interviews with suspects and for this evidence to be admissible in court.

[Scuba22]

Yes, it's true. Video cameras are the solution. There's no way to hide your identity from such a camera. Videos are usually razor-sharp and there's absolutely no mistaking what's going in on them. That's why the Rodney King cops were strung up.

On the list of things that need to be solved in Southern Thailand, "not enough surveillance cameras" is obviously at the top, miles above anything else. Thaksin definitely has his priorities in order.

[Wisarut]

One more thign to remind YOU, Saba Yoi District is a district thaty closed to Yala than Songkla ... becokme a basement or even opperatign area of Soutehr insurgents :eek:

[GWR]

Army put Na Thawi of Songkhla under close watch

The Army has added the Na Thawi district of Songkhla to be placed under close security watch following the increase of violence in the area, a senior army officer said Monday.

Na Thawi district is adjacent to Saba Yoi in the same province and has been the scene of frequent insurgency attacks, Lt Gen Chamlong Kungsong, a chief of staff, Internal Security Operation Command, said.

"In a recent meeting, we discussed the upsurge of violence in Na Thawi and agreed to put it under close watch. We believe that our successful operation and suppression in Saba Yoi has forced the insurgents to escape to Na Thawi," he said.

He reiterated that the army will continue offensive operations in Saba Yoi and closely watch Na Thawi in the belief the insurgents will use it as a base to attack both the authorities and local people.

He said part of the successful operations against the insurgents had resulted from the cooperation from local villagers.

The violence in Na Thawi was a "show of strength" by the insurgents, Chamlong said.

Na Thawi is the second district in Songkhla province that has come under violent attacks mostly at crowded markets. The violence that has claimed thousands of lives, both Buddhists and Muslims, has so far been limited to three provinces Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.

In a related development, Pol Col Sompong Khonkaen, a deputy police chief of Songkhla, said that police on Monday searched a residence of Pol Sgt Awang Hame, 48, in Songkhla's Thepa district, after becoming suspicious he was involved in the violence in the southern provinces.

Awang is based in Pattani province, Sompong said, adding the search was legal as the court approved a search warrant.

Meanwhile, Army Spokesman Col Akra Thiprote said that after the recent fatal attacks on public health officials in Pattani, many medical personnel had refused to return to work.

"Therefore, the army will send army doctors to many areas in the Deep south to take care of the local people," he said.

The Nation


http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/13/headlines/headlines_30044860.php

[GWR]

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/13/headlines/headlines_30044860.php

Insurgents launched five arson attacks in Songkhla

Songkhla - Insurgents launched five arson attacks in this southern border province Tuesday night, police said.

In the first attack, insurgents set fire to a school in Moo 1 Village of Tambon Piano in Sabayoi district, damaging three classrooms.

The insurgents also set fire to the signal tower of a cell phone station in front of the Thepha District Hospital.

The insurgents also set fire to a mobile phone signal tower in Chana District, and two other mobile phone signal towers in Namom District.

The five attacked happened nearly at the same time at 9:45 pm.

The Nation



http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30045082

To scotch the notion that Saba Yoi District is a bit of a hotbed of boogie-woogie, ragtime or Chopin, the commune there might better be called Tambol Pian (ปิยน) rather than Piano.

Na Mom is a scattered community about 5 to 10 kms. from Hat-Yai. There have been attacks on mobile phone towers in this district before.

[Ahoerstemeier]

Actually that tambon isn't named Piano, it's named Pian (เปียน)...

[GWR]

Thanks! I wonder if we are using the same maps.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30045082
To scotch the notion that Saba Yoi District is a bit of a hotbed of boogie-woogie, ragtime or Chopin, the commune there might better be called Tambol Pian (ปิยน) rather than Piano.
:D Every grim situation has some humor in it I believe!

Ah! I see! I left off the initial marker by mistake: เปียน NOT ปิยน. My map also says ตําบลเปียน.

[Ahoerstemeier]

Thanks! I wonder if we are using the same maps.

[...]
My map also says ตําบลเปียน.

At least for the Thai spelling the maps should all say the same. The romanization is the problem, even with the RTGS (which has its flaws of course) still everyone using his own favourite way of transcribing Thai.

It had a list of recommended spellings for the provinces and Amphoe for some time already, see here (http://narst.dmsc.moph.go.th/another/Thai%20province%20and%20district%20names%20in%20En glish.html).
DOPA had just recently made a document with the spelling for all tambon, see here (http://www.dopa.go.th/web_pages/m03050000/documents/thai_eng.zip) - sadly this first edition is still full of errors, I spotted more than 100 obviously misspelled entries. It will still take long time till these standardized spellings get used, at least for Wikipedia I am nearly through to adjust all the articles on the Amphoe.

But to get at least a bit back to the topic - did anyone else notice that PointAsia no longer provides high-res maps for all of the three trouble-ridden provinces? In June I was still using those imagery to locate the district offices and add them to the wikipedia articles, and then suddenly only the lowres images showed, the same resolution PointAsia has for e.g. Germany.

[GWR]

My impression is that there are also a very high number of privately-owned CCTV systems now:

30 September 2007
Songkhla installs 800 CCTVs in 7 districts

Governor of Songkhla province, Sonthi Techanant (สนธิ เตชานันท์), discloses that the province is set to install more than 800 CCTVs in seven districts. He adds that the situation in Songkhla has shown great improvements.

The governor has called an urgent meeting between security units and the provincial intelligence office to discuss security operations in the seven districts of Songkhla.

The installation of CCTVs is expected to be completed in October. The province has also dispatched 30 more guards to each district and provided security training for village defense volunteers.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05

http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255009300011

Related thread on an idea by Phuket's Provincial Governor to use roving CCTV units on the island:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16151&postcount=1

[GWR]

9 suspected insurgents, drug traffickers arrested in Hat Yai

SONGKHLA, Dec 2 (TNA) – A force of 200 policemen and defense volunteers this morning searched 13 Muslim communities in Hat Yai district of the southern province of Songkhla, before apprehending nine suspected insurgents and drug traffickers.

The search was carried out after police received reports youths from the troubled provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat might be staying in Hat Yai and waiting for ‘orders’ to create trouble in the area.

Police were expected to continue suppressing the insurgence in Songkhla to prevent violence during the year-end festival period.

Some 1,300 people have been killed in the ongoing insurgency in the three restive southern provinces since the violence erupted in early 2004. (TNA) – E111
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=1602