03 Mar 2018- ISOC Statement Deceitful Statement: “Stop deceiving the public”

Unofficial Translation

3 March 2018

ISOC Statement

Deceitful Statement: “Stop deceiving the public”

March 3, 2018, at 1000 hr. Colonel Pramote Phrom-in, spokesperson for  Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command, said that the statement issued by the Civilian and Freedom of Expression Protection and Anti Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation Network issued on 2nd March 2018, was deliberately misrepresenting the facts in order to discredit the state’s administration.  The Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command would like to clarify the matter as follows.

1. For the past 14 years, besides the loss of civilian lives from extremist violence instigators, there are groups of self-proclaimed human rights defenders actively engaging in the region to distort facts and destroy officials’ credibility. The groups are known to be actively and continuously discrediting officials by making false claims on rights abuses and torture. They submit complaints and reports to organizations, alleging officials abused and degraded human dignity. However, they refused to have any fact-finding investigation. Later, when investigations into the allegations have been conducted, it has been found that such claims were untrue. This behavior deliberately tarnishes and destroys the country’s credibility and image in the international community.

2. The Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command emphasizes and adheres to fair and indiscriminate law enforcement to maintain peace and order, by respecting the rule of law indiscriminately when dealing with offenders, within its mandate and without any act of omission to any offender. On the other hand, the agency respect human rights principles in every stage of law enforcement operation, while ensuring transparency and an opportunity to investigate all cases. Nevertheless, every time there is a law enforcement operation, the self-proclaimed rights defenders cries fouls over officials’ use of torture and distorted the fact. These so-called rights defenders have never defended the people’s rights when the people were victimized by violence instigators. Thus, the society understands that they are behind the violence and support the use of violence.

3. By taking legal actions against the Manager Online Editor and Mr. Ismael Teh, the agency is exercising its legal right to prosecute those violating the law, by knowingly publicizing deceitful and uninvestigated information to slander the government. The aforementioned actions damaged the officials and government agencies’ reputation. The agency, thus, has to rely on the justice system as an exercise of the state authority’s legitimate right to do so. The litigation is not a harassment or a threat to public participation as the groups have claimed and distorted the fact.

4. The Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command respects people’s rights and liberties. As long as, the public express themselves without breaking the law. We request that activists do not incite and distort security problems in the region for their groups’ benefits or political interests. The Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command urges then to stop deceiving people by distorting the facts that may cause confusion and unrest to the society. Such behavior may be perilous and risk violating the law. The Internal Security Operations Command’s 4th Region Forward Command urges organizations in the ad hoc network and the media to exercise cautious discretion in expressing and presenting truthful information and that they should not be exploited by covert opportunistic groups as a tool to expand the conflict situation, thus, the problems would be arduous to solve.

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Certify Official Information

(Signature) Colonel Pramote Phrom-in

(Pramote Prom-in)

Spokesman for Internal Security Operations Command’s (ISOC

Internal Security Operations Command 4th Region Forward Command, Public Relation Center Tel./Fax. 0-7326-2689 WWW.Southpeace.go.th e-mail: issocdnew@gmail.com

 P.O. Box 131, Mueang District, Yala Province 95000

Thai version

ทางกอรมน.ภาค4 ได้เผยแพร่แถลงการณ์ชี้แจงเมื่อวันที่3 มีนาคม 2561 รายละเอียดปรากฎดังนี้

https://issoc4news.blogspot.com/2018/03/4.html?m=1

CSO Joint statement pls download:

โฆษก กอ.รมน.ภาค 4 สน. แถลงการณ์ลวงโลก “ยุติหลอกลวงประชาชน” ตอบโต้แถลงการณ์เครือข่ายCSO ชายแดนใต้