Thai Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubamrung has affirmed that Thailand is not a country of terrorism after it was ranked eighth in the global terrorism index by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Chalerm downplayed the ranking by the US agency and attributed the
misunderstanding to recent political protests in the country. He expressed
confidence towards the operation of immigration police, the special branch
police and other security units.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the US has once believed that the terrorist group Hezbollah came to Thailand, but the issue was later proven false.
He also expressed his confidence that Thailand is not terrorism-prone as it is a Buddhist country and is not aligned with any major power bloc. He said the unrest in the south is deemed as being instigated by insurgents and separatists, not an act of terrorism.
The Deputy Prime Minister then pointed out that media reports which cover the incidents in the Deep South has been causing fears among the public while the local people do not share the same level of panic.
He however noted that he has been working closely with the authorities and is aware of the situation in the region./.
VNA
