PM: Peace in South vital to Growth Triangle

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said yesterday law and order in the country's southernmost area is crucial to a "Growth Triangle" project involving Indonesia, Malaysian and Thailand that could bring prosperity to the region.

Mr Chuan made the remark in response to questions over a report of last week's capture by Malaysian officials of three leading separatists from the mainstream Pattani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) and its splinter group, the new PULO, upon Thailand's request.

The premier said the Growth Triangle was Malaysia's initiative for joint development of an area covering the southernmost provinces of Thailand, Malaysia's four northern states and Indonesia's western Sumatra.

Mr Chuan said he doubted the project could move ahead while the area remained in turmoil with extortion problems and threats to public safety.

Cooperation from all concerned was vital to the keeping of law and order in the area and that would help restore investor confidence and bring about regional prosperity, he said.

Mr Chuan called the arrests of separatist leaders by Malaysia an example of bilateral cooperation.

Meanwhile the police chief, Gen Pracha Promnok, yesterday played down the Bangkok Post's report that he was unaware of the arrests in Malaysia.

He also ordered the Special Branch chief, Pol Lt-Gen Somkiat Puengsap, to verify the report of the arrests.

A source in the southernmost area of Thailand, who has connections with some separatists, yesterday reconfirmed the arrests of three leading separatists by Malaysian security officials.

The arrested were identified as Hayi Abdul Rohman Bazo, leader of the PULO splinter group, Hayi Da-oh Thanam, head of its military wing, and Hayi Sama-aer Thanam, combat forces commander of the mainstream PULO.

"There are still no reports of their whereabouts," said a local intelligence source adding that members of the separatist movments residing in Malaysia were reportedly surprised by the unusual action of Malaysia, which has provided them sanctuary for decades.

Pol Gen Pracha denied he had asked Malaysian authorities during his recent visit to their country to help fight separatist terrorism in border areas.

"That was a courtesy call and we had not raised security problems along the border area for discussion with Malaysia," he said.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Yala Teachers has called on authorities to hunt down attackers of teachers in southernmost provinces after Monday's shooting of a teacher in Narathiwat.

Chairman Prasit Meksuwan said the confederation has issued an announcement demanding the arrest of those who have attacked and made threats against teachers in Muslim-dominated provinces in the South.

He said their arrests would help authorities gain more information on sabotage attacks in the southern border provinces and establish the motives for such attacks.

The confederation's appeal came after the shooting of Suriyan Jatutham, a teacher at Padungmat School in Chanae district of Narathiwat, by an unknown gunman on Monday.

Palakorn Suwannarat, director of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, yesterday called a meeting of representatives of the Confederation of Teachers in Five Southern Border Provinces, the Fourth Army and local police at the centre in Yala's Muang district.

Mr Palakorn believed the attacks on teachers in the South were the work of terrorists wanting to create chaos and pressure security forces to move from checkpoints to guard schools in high-risk areas, as well as those hurt by crime suppression operations.

He said for the time being teachers in the five southernmost provinces must travel in groups under escort until the government could come up with a better way.

In a related development, all schools in Ra-ngae district which have been closed for two days after attacks on teachers will reopen today.