Article 111

Prince alerts people against interference from abroad

WASSANA NANUAM

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday urged Muslim and Buddhists to unite in peaceful co-existence and beware of ``interference'' from abroad.

The Crown Prince was speaking to Muslim religious leaders and Phra Khrupalad Ngiew Parutto, the abbot of Wat Sai Khao, in Pattani's Khok Pho district during a visit to the Buddhist temple.

He said the violence in the South was caused by some people with ill intentions and a misconception of Islamic teaching. The prince asked Muslim leaders to correct the wrong beliefs.

Privy councillor Palakorn Somsuwan, who accompanied the prince, said interference from abroad was partly to blame for the southern violence. The prince said both Muslim and Buddhist people should be aware of this and know how to cope with it.

The Prince earlier visited Sai Khao waterfall to follow up a highland waterworks project initiated by His Majesty the King.

The Fourth Army yesterday issued a statement denouncing those responsible for a false rumour that paramilitary rangers fired an air gun that hurt a woman of Ai Batu village in tambon Todeng of Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district. As a result, on Sept 25 the villagers became angry and staged a violent protest. The rangers were manning a checkpoint outside Ai Batu school when the villagers moved in on them, shouting abuse. The number of villagers grew to hundreds. They hurled rocks and demanded the rangers leave. As tensions rose, the rangers fled the village.

The statement said the rumour was carefully planted by people wanting to drive a wedge between the villagers and the rangers. During the protest, some villagers had apparently tried to cause the rangers to lose patience.

The statement said the army would send troops to the village to get rid of those ``instigators,'' retake control of the village and turn it into a strong community.