January 26, 2005

Spike-sweeping vehicles for South

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered four specially-built

spike-sweeping vehicles to be sent to insurgency prone areas in the

South.

Mr Thaksin made the order after inspecting one of the vehicles shown to

him by national police chief Pol Gen Kowit Wattana.

The vehicle was invented and designed by the King Mongkut Institute of

Technology Lat Krabang. The Crime Suppression Division had hired a

private company to build it.

The vehicle, fitted with a hydraulic sweeper, has six wheels. It costs

2.9 million baht _ 2.7 million baht for the vehicle and 200,000 baht for

the sweeper.

In yesterday's demonstration, the vehicle proved it could easily sweep

metal spikes strewn on the road.

Mr Thaksin said he was satisfied with it and ordered four vehicles. The

first vehicle, the one shown to him yesterday, would be sent to

Narathiwat.

The authorities have a hard time chasing militants, who throw metal

spikes on the roads, puncturing their vehicles' tyres.