Thai Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubamrung has affirmedthat Thailand is not a country of terrorism after it was rankedeighth in the global terrorism index by the Institute for Economics andPeace.
Chalerm downplayed the ranking by the USagency and attributed the misunderstanding to recent political protestsin the country. He expressed confidence towards the operation ofimmigration police, the special branch police and other security units.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that the US has once believedthat the terrorist group Hezbollah came to Thailand, but the issuewas later proven false.
He also expressed his confidence thatThailand is not terrorism-prone as it is a Buddhist country and isnot aligned with any major power bloc. He said the unrest in the southis deemed as being instigated by insurgents and separatists, not an actof terrorism.
The Deputy Prime Minister then pointed out thatmedia reports which cover the incidents in the Deep South has beencausing fears among the public while the local people do not share thesame 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