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.