NARATHIWAT— Security officers say they have arrested two separatist insurgents responsible for launching numerous attacks in Thailand's southern border provinces.

The two men, identified as Baruwan Baka and Aimaan Kache (names transcribed from Thai text), were detained by soldiers at a rubber orchard in Ra-ngae district following hours of gunfight, said Col. Rungroj Anantatho, the military commander in charge of the raid. 

Soldiers and police surrounded a house near the rubber farm where Baruwan, Aimaan, and two other insurgents were staying at around 10.30 pm last night and ordered the four men to surrender. The suspects refused to comply and fired their weapons, forcing officers to shoot back, Col. Rungroj said. 

According to Col Rungroj, the four suspects eventually ran off into the orchard. Two were found hiding by soldiers who searched the area this morning, while the other two managed to escape.

One of the two arrested men, Baruwan, is wanted for his alleged involvement in numerous attacks in Thailand's southern border provinces, including the high-profile torture and killing of a 28-year-old public school teacher, Juling Pongkanmun, in 2006, police say. 

Col. Rungroj also told reporters that one of the suspects who escaped, Amran Ming (name transcribed from Thai text), is a "high-ranking operative" of a separatist cell in the province. 

"There are more than 10 arrest warrants on him," Col. Rungroj said.

At least 6,200 people have died since secessionist violence broke out in the provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat in 2004. The near-daily violence also occasionally spills into some districts of Songkhla province. 

In contrast to the rest of country, where the vast majority of Thais are Buddhist, the Deep South is dominated by Muslims who speak a Malaysian dialect and often do not consider themselves Thai. 

More than 60,000 troops and armed volunteers are deployed in the region to combat the blood insurgency, which has been waged by several shadowy militant groups seeking to revive the independent sultanate of Pattani that was incorporated into modern Thailand in the early 20th century.

This morning, a grenade and three homemade bombs were also lobbed at residence quarters of police officers in Narathiwat's Ba Jo district. The blast damaged two houses that belong to police officers, but no one was injured in the attack, police say. 

BANGKOK – The chairman of Thailand's military junta said authorities are investigating two soldiers who were arrested yesterday for allegedly smuggling illegal alcohol near the Thai – Malaysian border.

Customs officials stopped a military truck in Haat Yai district in Songkhla province yesterday morning and seized more than 300 boxes of alcoholic beverages that were not properly taxed, police say.

Customs officials found 300 boxes of illegal alchohol in a truck driven by two soldiers, Haat Yai, Songkhla, 15 Dec 2014.

Two soldiers who were driving the truck were arrested on charges of smuggling alcohol.

According to junta chairman and Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Thai army has already started an inquiry into the incident. He also stressed that the soldiers were acting independently. 

"It's personal issue. Don't use the words 'soldiers smuggle alcohol.' If you use the word 'soldiers,' I will be offended, because I don't even drink alcohol every day," Gen. Prayuth told reporters. "They acted on their own. Any of us humans are capable of committing a crime."

The Prime Minister also promised that if found guilty in court, the two soldiers will be expelled from the army and sent to prison.

According to junta spokesperson Col. Winthai Suwaree, the arrested soldiers were assigned to transport military equipment for security officers stationed in Songkhla province at the time of the incident.

"Any soldier who behaves inappropriately, or involves him or herself in illegal activity, will face a maximum penalty according to the civil and military laws," Col. Winthai insisted.

More than sixty thousand security officers are deployed in southern Thailand to combat a simmering Islamic insurgency that has claimed at least 6,000 lives – mostly civilian –  over the past decade. 

NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Military officers have threatened to revoke the licenses of community radio stations in northeastern Thailand that refuse to broadcast the military junta’s daily talk shows.

At a press conference this morning, local army commanders and state officials reminded radio DJs that they are required to air all official state announcements in compliance with orders from Thailand’s military junta and the National Broadcasting and Television Commission (NBTC).

According to the province's NBTC director, Saksri Wongwai, "dozens" of radio stations in Nakhon Ratchasima have failed to broadcast "Thailand Moves Forward," the daily 15-minute segment produced by the state that extols the military junta's efforts to reform Thailand's economic, social, and political sectors. 

The press conference on radio regulations in Nakhon Ratchasima, 16 Dec 2014.

Saksri said some radio stations have also not complied with orders to broadcast junta leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s weekly national addresses, a program titled "Returning Happiness to the People."

"Most of them are community radio stations run by monks," Saksrisaid at the press conference. "These monks claim that they cannot broadcast the [junta's daily programs] because that period of time is allotted for programs about Buddhist teachings."

Saksri also warned DJs against criticising the military junta on the airwaves.

"[Some DJs] like to express their opinion in a way that may cause disputes, distort information, or create confusion in society. They like to criticise the work of the NCPO," Saksri said, using an acronym for the junta's formal title, the National Council for Peace and Order. "Such actions are a threat to the security of the state."

Under NCPO Order No. 14, media agencies in Thailand are forbidden from airing opinions that may cause "further violent conflicts and create confusion in society."

Maj.Gen. Sermsak added that all 158 registered radio stations in Nakhon Ratchasima have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with security officers agreeing to strictly comply with NBTC regulations and the junta's orders from now on. 

Any radio station that repeatedly fails to adhere to the agreement will be stripped of its license, Maj.Gen. Sermsak warned.

Soldiers raid a state media office in Chiang Mai Province hours after Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha imposed martial law on 20 May 2014. 

Since seizing power from the elected government on 22 May 2014, the NCPO has extensively curtailed freedom of the press in Thailand. A number of radio and TV stations were shut down in the wake of the coup and only allowed to re-open on the condition that none of their programs criticise the junta's administration.

The army has held similar meetings with radio DJs in several other provinces around Thailand in recent weeks. Last month, more than 100 radio DJs were summoned for talks at any army camp in Chiang Mai, where they were instructed not to discuss the anti-coup protests staged by student activists in Khon Kaen and Bangkok.

There are thousands of community radio stations in Thailand, many of which have been used as tools for political organising in recent years.

Prior to the coup, many DJs in northeastern Thailand – the stronghold of the Redshirt movement that supported the former government – used their platforms on the radio to discuss political issues and spread the word about rallies and other political events.

Under the junta's orders, all political activities and gatherings are currently banned in Thailand. 

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