Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said Wednesday the Thai government is in talks with Laos regarding collaboration on suppressing Thai political groups exploiting Laos as their base to launch activities against the Thai government.
Speaking after talks with Lao Defense Minister Lt Gen Chansamone Chayalath, Gen Prawit said Laos always cooperates with Thailand on such matters.
The two countries are hosting the Thai-Lao General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Bangkok which runs until Friday.
Also part of the current cooperation between Thailand and Laos on transnational crime suppression is an investigation into groups broadcasting against the Thai government on some Laos-based radio stations, said Gen Prawit.
They comprise criminal suspects who have escaped from Thailand into the neighbouring country, he said.
He said he had assigned National Security Council chief Thawip Netniyom to conduct further talks on the matter.
Gen Prawit met Lt Gen Chansamone, the new defense minister of Laos who is being treated as a guest of the Thai Defense Ministry and is on an official visit to Thailand to attend the GBC meetings.
Gen Prawit and Lt Gen Chansamone at Wednesday’s session discussed the possibility of strengthening security collaboration through more mechanisms aimed at better addressing problems deemed security threats for both nations including drug smuggling, transnational crime and illegal immigration.
In addition to these topics, the two sides also discussed cyber security problems and people who are threats to the national security of both Thailand and Laos.
The discussion is necessary to improve Thai-Lao border security and convenience, Gen Prawit said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanich said the main meeting of the Thai-Lao GBC, the second of its kind, will be held today.
He said the meeting would follow up on progress in joint operations initiated previously and discuss more collaboration on Thai-Lao border security.
Source: Bangkok Post
