BANGKOK, June 3 (UPI) -- Operations against insurgents in southern Thailand should be treated as law enforcement, not military action, the head of the army said Friday.
Commander in Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha spoke to the news media in Bangkok before leaving for a tour of inspection in the south, the Thai News Agency reported.
Insurgents in the south are getting direction from organizations outside the country, Prayuth said. He said he could not identify the groups involved because top-secret intelligence is involved, the Bangkok Post reported.
"We've been trying our best to contain the problem, as you can see from the number of suspects we've detained in drug and oil smuggling cases," he said.
Forces in the south raided three rebel camps Wednesday in the Budo mountains in Narathiwat province, TNA said. More than 100 weapons were reported seized.
Marines killed three members of the insurgent group Runda Kumpulan Kecil on Thursday after they returned to one of the camps, officials said.
