At the meeting chaired by General Lieutenant Norathip Poinok and attended by his officers, all key provincial figures…

The head of ISOC Region 4 visited Phuket as part of a campaign against internal threats. The commander of the Royal Thai Army's 4th Regional Command (RTA 4th Area Command) and director of the Internal Security Operations Command for Region 4 arrived in Phuket to conduct an inspection of government work in combating internal threats, from drug trafficking to foreign control over land through nominees. A meeting chaired by Lieutenant General Nornathip Poynoch and attended by his officers gathered all key provincial figures, including Governor Nirat Phongsittworn, head of the Regional Rural Administration Office Revata Ariroba, Police Chief Sinlert Sukhum, heads of other departments and structures. The meeting took place on May 23. State news agency NBT published a report on the arrival of the military inspector in Phuket, with the English-language service NBT World preparing the material immediately. "Participants at the meeting reviewed the overall security situation in the province, including: ▫️fight against drugs, ▫️control over public spaces usage, ▫️prevention of natural resource self-seizures, ▫️monitoring illegal migration, ▫️transnational crime, ▫️foreign land ownership through nominees." The authorities noted that the listed problems affect the province's safety, economic development, and Phuket's reputation as one of Thailand's key tourist destinations," – it is stated in the NBT World text. General Poinok emphasized the need to integrate efforts of all agencies in combating the aforementioned security threats. "General Poinok reported that the government has given priority and urgency to issues of internal security, illegal occupation of natural resources, and problems related to foreign nationals' activities in Thailand," – it is added in the text. At the latest specialized meeting in Bangkok, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirokakul spoke about the need for integrating efforts against internal threats. He, in particular, emphasized that the police and the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) should be on the same side. "Reports from Phuket regarding the progress of inspections and the return of public land plots, including Bang Tao Beach, Freedom Beach, and Nui Beach, have been provided," – it is stated. For these cases, procedural work is currently underway. Phuket's agencies are coordinating their work [...] to speed up inspections of land ownership, foreign business activities, as well as schemes of nominal ownership and illegal use of natural resources. The authorities of Phuket confirmed their intention to consistently and strictly ensure the enforcement of legislation," – states a PR Phuket statement. Representatives of ISOC 4 participated in May raids on Noi Beach and Freedom Beach. However, as of now, the activities of the army command in combating internal threats are more noticeable on Phang Nga and Samui islands. In some raids, army representatives even participated personally, although mainly ISOC was limited to coordinating the work of relevant agencies and monitoring. After one incident requiring direct intervention by ISOC, Thailand's Ministry of Labor announced an inspection of all foreign workers employed in Thailand. Photo: PR Phuket, NBT World