Phumtham” admits to being concerned about unrest in the southern region after the Tak Bai case is nearing its statute of limitations, insists the government is expediting the pursuit of the suspects, never neglecting them, says he is uncomfortable being seen as the Prime Minister’s fault, asks to look at the big picture, not to criticize specific parts.
Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, talked about the Tak Bai case, which is about to expire on October 25. As the person overseeing security, is there any concern about unrest in the area? He said that this is something we are concerned about and have been watching out for. But in reality, there have been incidents in the area all along. It did not just start during the Tak Bai case. It is in accordance with the goals and objectives of the perpetrators. What we are doing now, the Prime Minister has ordered relevant agencies, including intelligence units, to find information on the suspects’ residences or areas they have b
een to. He asked them to go and look into the details and go according to the court warrant or arrest warrant that is available. He has urged them to expedite the arrests since the first day the arrest warrant was issued. It can be seen that he has ordered the National Police Chief to go to the area himself and has ordered the regional commanders to go to the problematic areas. Right now, they are urgently tracking down the suspects, but they do not know where they are. They have coordinated with the International Police to track them down.
Mr. Phumtham admitted that this is not an easy matter and it is not that we will neglect or not care. It is just like any other case where some arrests are made and some are not. This is not an excuse. In any case, we must do our best. Furthermore, this case has been ongoing for more than 20 years because there are still different perspectives on this matter. I think that everyone must enter the justice process and let the justice process decide. We have a duty to make ev
erything proceed according to the law.
Mr. Phumtham also said that he felt uncomfortable that the Tak Bai case was being raised to blame this government as the perpetrator, but we understand the pain and damage to all the relatives. We should not accuse the government or the Prime Minister of being complicit because this incident happened 20 years ago. And 20 years ago, the Prime Minister was not very old. Therefore, it does not mean that he was complicit. At present, he has done his duty and has instructed the National Police Chief and himself. Therefore, he does not want the Tak Bai case to be viewed as a single issue because the information that has come out has many parts and points. He does not want it to be expanded. He wants to look only at the impact on the relatives. If it is expanded, it may escalate and affect the fighting of the armed forces in the South and affect national security. He wants everyone to be careful about this matter. Focus on the victims. Again, the compensation process occurred
during Prime Minister Yingluck’s time and there has been no indication of right or wrong. Everyone is ready to investigate the truth. He does not want people to look at only one angle and part and then talk about one side, which would be unfair to those who were referred to.
Source: Thai News Agency