15th Infantry Division (Thailand)

The 15th Infantry Divistion (Thai: กองพลทหารราบที่ 15) (พล.ร.๑๕.) is an infantry division of the Royal Thai Army, it is currently a part of the Fourth Army Area. The unit is composed of the 151st Infantry Regiment, 152nd Infantry Regiment and 153rd Infantry Regiment and Service Support Regiment. The division engaged in the South Thailand insurgency.

15th Infantry Division
กองพลทหารราบที่ 15
Unit insignia
ActiveApril 1st 2007–present
CountryThailand
Branch Royal Thai Army
TypeLight infantry
RoleLight infantry
SizeLight infantry Division
Part ofFourth Army Area
Garrison/HQFort Ingkhayutthaborihan, Nong Chik, Pattani, Thailand
Engagements
Websitehttp://www.infantry-division15.com/Inf_Dev15.html(in Thai)

History

Southern insurgency (2001–ongoing)

The ongoing southern insurgency had begun in response to Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram's 1944 National Cultural Act, which replaced the use of Malaya in the region's schools with the Thai language and also abolished the local Islamic courts in the three ethnic Malay and Muslim majority border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.[1] However, it had always been on a comparatively small scale. The insurgency intensified in 2001, during the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Terrorist attacks were now extended to the ethnic Thai minority in the provinces.[2] The Royal Thai Armed Forces also went beyond their orders and retaliated with strong armed tactics that only encouraged more violence.[3] By the end of 2012 the conflict had claimed 3,380 lives, including 2,316 civilians, 372 soldiers, 278 police, 250 suspected insurgents, 157 education officials, and seven Buddhist monks. Many of the dead were Muslims themselves, but they had been targeted because of their presumed support of the Thai government.[4]

Organization

15th Infantry Division Headquarters
  • 15th Infantry Division
    • 151st Infantry Regiment
      • 1st Infantry Battalion
      • 2nd Infantry Battalion
      • 3rd Infantry Battalion
    • 152nd Infantry Regiment
      • 1st Infantry Battalion
      • 2nd Infantry Battalion
      • 3rd Infantry Battalion
    • 153rd Infantry Regiment
      • 1st Infantry Battalion
      • 2nd Infantry Battalion
      • 3rd Infantry Battalion
    • Support Regiment
      • Logistic and Service Battalion
      • Maintenance Battalion
      • Medical Battalion
    • 15th Combat Engineer Battalion
    • 31st Cavalry Squadron
    • 15th Signal Corp Battalion

See also

References
  1. Patani
  2. Search – Global Edition – The New York Times Archived 18 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. International Herald Tribune (29 March 2009). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.
  3. Thailand's counter-insurgency operations Archived 3 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Janes.com (19 November 2007). Retrieved on 2012-01-18.
  4. Data from the (governmental) Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, cited in ISRANews Archived 1 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine report, 4 January 2013
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