Malaysia denies it's a rebel training ground
Malaysia denies it's a rebel training ground
BANGKOK (Agencies): Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan has no immediate plans to discuss Moslem guerrilla activity in southern Thailand with neighboring Malaysia, his office said yesterday.
Surin's secretary denied media reports that he would meet Malaysian authorities soon to confer on separatist violence in the Thai region bordering Malaysia.
"The minister has no plan to go to Malaysia soon. The only foreseen schedule for the time being is that he is going to go to Singapore on Tuesday for the joint Commission discussion and this has nothing to do with...southern Thailand," she said.
Malaysian police denied reports that the country was a training ground for a Thai rebel group known as the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO), the national Bernama news agency said late Saturday.
Deputy Inspector-General Norian Mai was quoted by Bernama as saying that Malaysian police had no information that the group received training in Malaysia.
He said the activities of PULO was a domestic problem for Thailand and Malaysia would only act if the guerrillas used this country as a base.
"There is no basis to link the guerrilla activities in Thailand with Malaysia as we do not have information about any group being trained here," he said.
Terrorist activities have intensified in the southern-most regions of Thailand including several grenade attacks which killed three teenagers and injured several people.
A 14-year-old girl and two policemen became the latest victims of the terrorist campaign when they were killed during an attack on a police patrol car in Pattani province last Friday.
The girl was walking past a police station at Tambon Ratabanyang when suspected Moslem terrorists opened fire on a police car with AK-47 assault rifles and an M-79 grenade launcher, according to police reports in The Nation.
In response to the violence, the Thai government last week put the army in control of border security and sent three special squads of crack troops into the area.
Premier Chuan Leekpai alleged last Friday that PULO members were being trained in Malaysia before being sent to southern Thailand.