PATTANI — Thailand's southern border provinces have seen a surge in violence in recent days, following the arrival of senior Malaysian officials in Bangkok to discuss the insurgent violence with Thailand's military government.

Hishammuddin Hussein, the Malaysian Minister of Defense, has met with Thai government officials, including Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, over the past two days to discuss the insurgency in southern Thailand, a spokesperson of the Thai Ministry of Defense said.

Islamic insurgents have been battling Thai authorities in Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani provinces – a region known as the Deep South – since early 2004. The separatists aim to revive the independent sultanate of Pattani, which was incorporated into modern-day Thailand in the early 20th century.

In contrast to the rest of the country, which is dominated by Buddhists, a majority of those living in the Deep South are Muslims who speak a Malaysian dialect. 

More than 6,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the simmering conflict over the past decade, according to data compiled by rights groups.

The latest incident of violence in the Deep South occurred at around 1:30 am today, when a group of gunmen opened fire at a police patrol in Pattani province, killing one police officer and wounding three others. One of the wounded police officers said his team was ambushed by the gunmen, who were hiding in a forest near the road. 

Security officers found at least 48 bullet cases near the crime scene. 

The day before, four civilians were shot at a grocery store in Narathiwat. Three of the men died at the scene, while the other passed away in a hospital today. Pol.Col. Ruengsak Buadaeng, superintendent of Rueso Police Station, said local insurgents are believed to be responsible for the attack. 

On the morning of 28 January, two separate roadside bomb attacks also targeted security force convoys in Pattani and Yala. 

The first explosion took place near a checkpoint in Yala's Mueang district at 8:09 am, police say. The IED was reportedly set off as a group of police officers were passing on motorcycles, injuring three officers. Police say the IED appeared to consist of seven-kilogram homemade explosive.

The second blast occurred on Route 42 of Pattani-Narathiwat highway in Pattani at 8:10 am and appeared to be aimed at a group of army rangers. However, no one was injured in the incident.

Last month, Gen. Prayuth traveled to Malaysia to meet with Prime Minister Najib Razak and discuss holding Malaysian-brokered peace talks with the southern rebels. However, the shadowy insurgent groups have yet to honor the ceasefire that Gen. Prayuth said must be in place in order for the talks to go forward.

Last month, dozens of banners were hung around southern Thailand questioning the sincerity of Gen. Prayuth's peace dialogue. 

The banners, which were written in Thai, English, and Malay, read: "Is it appropriate to negotiate with the coup government? There is no guarantee for sincerity."

BANGKOK — The former commander of Thailand's Central Investigation Bureau and his deputy have been sentenced to six years in prison for insulting the Crown Prince and running an illegal casino.

Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat Chayapan, his ex-deputy Pol.Lt.Gen. Kowit Wongrungroj, and at least five others were arrested in November on charges of extortion, abuse of power, corruption, running a gambling den, money laundering, and lese majeste (insult of monarchy). More than 20 others were later arrested in connection with the alleged crime syndicate run by Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat.

Many of the suspects are related to former princess Srirasmi, wife of Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, including her own brother and sister. Srirasmi resigned from her status as member of the Royal Family in the aftermath of the scandal. 

Today, the Criminal Court found Pongpat and Kowit guilty of violating Thailand’s lese majeste law, which criminalizes defaming the Royal Family with up to 15 years in prison. 

According to the court, the pair operated an illegal casino in Bangkok and wore Royal Crest pins and badges bearing the portrait of Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the 9-year-old son of the Crown Prince, to indicate that the casino was backed by the palace, the Bangkok Post reported. 

The defendants confessed to the crime and were sentenced to five years in prison for lese majeste, and seven years in jail for abuse of power and running a gambling den. The total sentence was eventually reduced to six years because of their confessions.

The pair also plead guilty to charges of lese majeste and soliciting bribes in two other cases still before the court. 

The emergence of Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat's alleged graft ring into the public eye was one of the largest scandals to hit the Thai police force and the palace in recent years. 

Pol.Lt.Gen. Pongpat is an uncle of former princess Srirasmi. Her brother, Col. Nattapol Suwadee, is under arrest on charges of armed racketeering and illegal detention, and her sister, Sudathip Muangnuan, is being held in a Bangkok prison for citing her connections to the monarchy in order to win exclusive rights to sell certain food products to the Crown Prince's palace at an overpriced rate.

In response to the ongoing scandal, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn stripped Srirasmi's entire family of the royally-bestowed surname of Akharaphongpreecha, forcing them to revert back to their "commoner" surname, Suwadee, on 30 November. 

Less than two weeks later, on 12 December, the Royal Household Bureau announced that Srirasmi had resigned from her status as a member of the Thai Royal Family. She moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with her parents in Ratchaburi province and has not been seen since 13 December, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son. 

BANGKOK — Two Redshirt leaders have been released following "attitude adjustment" sessions with the military.

Nattawut Saikua, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperative, and Chertchai Tantisirin, former Pheu Thai MP in Khon Kaen province, were summoned by the military after they publicly criticized the junta and recent political developments in Thailand.

Both Nattawut and Chertchai are also core members of the Redshirt umbrella organization, the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD). 

Nattawut Saikua leaving the 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok on 30 Jan 2015.

Nattawut and Chertchai are two of several Redshirt politicians that have been summoned by the military this week for criticizing the junta-appointed legislature's  impeachment of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra last Friday. Yingluck's supporters say the impeachment ruling was a politically-motivated effort to weaken the Pheu Thai party's prospects of a winning the next national election, scheduled for 2016 at the earliest.

The military junta claims the summons were intended to "create understanding" about the political situation in Thailand.

Nattawut surrendered himself to the military at 1st Region Army headquarters in Bangkok at 9 am today. He was released several hours later. 

Posting on his official Facebook account after the meeting, Nattawut said that the military officers spoke to him about the reason for the 22 May 2014 military coup, the mission of the ruling junta, and the need for all sides to refrain from making political statements at this time. 

According to Nattawut, the military also threatened to "impose additional measures" if he refused to cooperate.

"So I told them I was willing to cooperate," Nattawut wrote. "There won't be any movements or confrontations. But as for the issue of expressing my opinion, I think that is my right, and I am ready to take responsibility for what will happen. Please understand that I say these things because I believe in them, with sincere intention for the country. I don’t have any other agenda."

He continued, "Eventually they told me, 'Well, up to you, brother, we take it that we have spoken to each other.' So I replied that if in the future there is a need to summon me again or take any measures against me, please understand that I wasn't being mischievous or disrespectful in this discussion. I am what I am."

Chertchai was released yesterday from a local military unit in Khon Kaen province after an hour long meeting. Military officers say Chertchai was summoned because he criticized Yingluck's impeachment in a Facebook post, and reportedly urged the military junta to follow an American diplomat's advice to lift the martial law in an interview with the media. 

Chertchai told reporters after the meeting that the military summoned him because they didn't want any "chaos" in the country. He added that he did not want his comments calling for the repeal of martial law to stir any unrest.

"I was only giving my straightforward opinion. I don't want the interview to instigate any chaos in Khon Kaen," Chertchai said, "So I want all brothers and sisters to focus on their daily work. The economy is not good these days. I have talked with the military, it's done. I want everything to be peaceful and all the people to have unity. I want to work without getting in politics at this time."

In the weeks following the 22 May 2014 coup, more than 300 politicians, activists, and academics perceived to be sympathetic to the former government were publicly summoned and detained in military camps for up to seven days. The wave of summons orders winded down in July. 

Unlike last year's summons, the orders given to politicians in recent days were not written into official documents or publicly announced on television.  

Read more:
Thai Junta Renews Summons Orders to Quash Criticism

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BANGKOK (DPA) — A Japanese man has successfully sued the Thai government for paternal rights for three of the 12 babies he had through surrogate mothers, an official confirmed Friday.

Mitsutoki Shigeta, 24, made headlines last year when it emerged he had paid several women in Thailand to have his babies, and was keeping them in a Bangkok apartment.

They were later taken away by Thai authorities as investigations were launched over possible human trafficking violations by Shigeta.

"We can confirm that the courts have given custody of three of the babies to Mr Shigeta," said Pornthep Rasmi, judge and secretary general at the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

"There are no pending cases over the remaining nine children," he said.

Shigeta had earlier said he wanted to produce between 100 and 1,000 babies, according to the co-founder of an organization that provides surrogacy services in Thailand and other countries.

Thailand revised its surrogacy laws last year following the Shigeta case and another scandal in which a surrogate baby with Down syndrome was left behind by an Australian couple, who took his twin sister.

A bill was then passed by the National Legislative Assembly banning commercial surrogacy in Thailand.