Bomb disposal squads have their skills honed via training

General News - Saturday December 15, 2007

SOUTHERN UNREST / RAJABHAT OPINION SURVEY

Bomb disposal squads have their skills honed via training

POST REPORTERS

Yala _ Bomb disposal squads working in the deep South have been trained in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) to improve their bomb-handling efficiency.

Deputy police chief Pol Lt-Gen Adul Saengsingkaew said apart from honing the squads' EOD skills, the training, which took place in Yala's Muang district, would introduce effective bomb disposal techniques and set the stage for an exchange of views with foreign disposal experts. The training was attended by 80 officials from Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla.

Meanwhile, an opinion survey on the Dec 23 election conducted by Yala Rajabhat University revealed that many people wanted the next government to focus more on South-related problems.

It showed 37 % wanted improved public safety, 31% stressed development of education and 31% wanted vocational development and promotion.

The university surveyed 1,194 people in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala between Dec 4 and 5.

A high number of respondents, about 82%, said they would vote.

On the choice of prime minister, 71% preferred Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, followed by People Power party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej and Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa.

In another development, Pranai Suwanrath, director of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, said some troops from the army engineers department were sent to resume construction of No 418 Ban Tasap-Ban Khlongkud road.

Construction started in 2002, but was suspended after the contractors abandoned their jobs amid ongoing insurgent attacks.

The No 418 road links Yala, Pattani and Songkhla.

Bangkok Post