Thai junta chief vows to take army back to the barracks

Thailand's military will return to the barracks after the upcoming December 23 general election and not interfere in the next government, junta chief General Sonthi Boonyaratkaline vowed Friday in a speech marking the anniversary of last year's coup.

"Those of us who are scheduled to retire will take a rest and the military will return to its normal duties. We will be professional soldiers," Sonthi told a press conference marking the anniversary of the September 19 coup he led against former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sonthi is due to retire on September 30, making way for General Anupong Paochinda to replace him as army commander-in-chief and head of the Council of Nation Security (CNS) as the junta has styled itself. Thailand has experienced 18 successful military coups over the past 75 years, and half a dozen failed putsches.

The choice of Anupong as the new army head has been welcomed by political analysts as he is deemed a professional soldier without political ambitions.

After staging the September 19 coup to topple Thaksin on charges of corruption and dividing the nation, Sonthi vowed the restore democracy in Thailand before the end of this year.

A general election is now scheduled for December 23.

"The future of the elected government looks good, efficient and strong," said Sonthi, addressing what he called his last press conference. "And the military does not want to interfere with it."

The outgoing army commander confirmed that the military will go ahead with the purchase of 96 armoured personnel carriers at the cost of 4 billion baht (118.7 million dollars) from the Ukraine.

But Sonthi said the APCs will not be sent to the deep South, where the military is fighting a separatist movement in the three provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

Last July, Thailand opted for the Ukraine's BTR-3EI model over eight other bids from Canada, China, Russia and elsewhere.

He said the APCs will be stationed in Prachinburi on the Thai-Cambodian border.

The general claimed that the military has made progress in quelling the insurgency in the South, where some 2,500 people have died in the violence since January, 2004.

"Our military and political stategies have succeed in the South," said Sonthi, citing and increase in arrests, weapons seizures and greater assistance form the local population over the last year.

Earlier this month, however, Sonthi acknowleged that the conflict will probably take 20 years to be completely resolved. (dpa)