Border Patrol Police
Encyclopedia
Border Patrol PoliceBorder Patrol Police ( is a Thai
paramilitary
force responsible for border security
and Counter-insurgency
.
Central Intelligence Agency
. Although technically part of the Royal Thai Police
, the BPP has always enjoyed a great deal of autonomy within the national headquarters as well as in its multifaceted field operations. The royal family was a principal patron of the organization. This traditional relationship benefited both the palace and its paramilitary protectors. Many BPP commanders were former army officers.
advisers who helped establish an instruction program during the 1960s.
The BPP served as an important adjunct to the Thai military and often operated under army (and sometimes the Royal Thai Marine Corps) control during counterinsurgency operations.
BPP units stationed along the Cambodian and Laotian borders following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979 often served as the first line of defense and bore the brunt of Vietnamese attacks
.
In order to carry out its primary intelligence mission, the BPP operates numerous civic action program
s to cultivate and maintain rapport with remote area villagers and hill tribes. They have built and operate numerous schools in remote areas and helping the army to construct offices for civilian administration, they also operate rural medical aid stations, gave farmers agricultural assistance, and built small airstrips for communication and transportation purposes.
unit responsible for training and supporting airborne operations, airborne reinforcement, disaster and accident rescue, and supporting special missions under the command of the Border Patrol Police. All members of PARU are trained for airborne operations including free-fall jumps. PARU provides support to the BPP Headquarters within 2 hours.
PARU also conducts training for the following:
(ISOC) to urban areas to fight left-wing political activism. The Village Scouts were subsequently involved in the Thammasat University massacre of 1976. In the late 1980s, VDC strength was estimated at roughly 33,000, down from a peak of about 52,000 in 1980. Part of the reduction was absorbed by the formation of the Thahan Phran, a paramilitary unit formed to counter communist insurgents. In the 21st century Internet censorship
, the village-scout concept was extended to or cyber scouts.
was formed as a volunteer militia
force deployed in active trouble spots along the Cambodian and Burmese borders. The organization followed a military structure and had 32 regiments and 196 companies. The Thahan Phran gained considerable publicity and incurred significant casualties during Vietnamese bombardments and local assaults
along the Cambodian border.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
force responsible for border security
Border guard
The border guard, frontier guard, border patrol, border police, or frontier police of a country is a national security agency that performs border control, i.e., enforces the security of the country's national borders....
and Counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
.
History
The Thai Border Patrol Police was organized in the 1950s with assistance from the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
. Although technically part of the Royal Thai Police
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...
, the BPP has always enjoyed a great deal of autonomy within the national headquarters as well as in its multifaceted field operations. The royal family was a principal patron of the organization. This traditional relationship benefited both the palace and its paramilitary protectors. Many BPP commanders were former army officers.
National Organization
- Headquarters Border Patrol Police Bureau
- General Staff Division
- Tactical Training Division
- Support Division
- Nawut Sometya Hospital
- Aerial Reinforcement Unit (PARU)
- Naresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism UnitNaresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism Unit-History:Special Operations Unit "Naraesuan 261" was set up in 1983, Buddhist year 2526, by a Thai Cabinet Resolution. The Resolution, dated February 1, 2526 , was a major policy decision designed to provide a force for counter-terrorism efforts....
- Naresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism Unit
- Village Scout Center
- BPP Regional Divisions 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Field organization
Hundreds of Thirty-two-man platoons form the basic operating units of the BPP, each platoon was supported by one or more heavy weapons platoons stationed at the regional and area RTP headquarters. PARU can airlift BPP platoons to troubled areas when an emergency arises. Armed with modern light infantry equipment, the BPP also benefited from training by United States Army Special ForcesUnited States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
advisers who helped establish an instruction program during the 1960s.
The BPP served as an important adjunct to the Thai military and often operated under army (and sometimes the Royal Thai Marine Corps) control during counterinsurgency operations.
BPP units stationed along the Cambodian and Laotian borders following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979 often served as the first line of defense and bore the brunt of Vietnamese attacks
Vietnamese border raids in Thailand
After the 1978 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and defeat of Democratic Kampuchea in 1979, the Khmer Rouge fled to the border regions of Thailand, and with assistance from China Pol Pot's troops managed to regroup and reorganize in forested and mountainous zones on the Thai-Cambodian border...
.
In order to carry out its primary intelligence mission, the BPP operates numerous civic action program
Civic action program
A civic action program also known as civic action project is a type of operation designed to assist an area by using the capabilities and resources of a military force or civilian organization to conduct long-term programs or short-term projects...
s to cultivate and maintain rapport with remote area villagers and hill tribes. They have built and operate numerous schools in remote areas and helping the army to construct offices for civilian administration, they also operate rural medical aid stations, gave farmers agricultural assistance, and built small airstrips for communication and transportation purposes.
Border Patrol Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit
The Border Patrol Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit (BPP PARU or just PARU) is the BPP's special forcesSpecial forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit responsible for training and supporting airborne operations, airborne reinforcement, disaster and accident rescue, and supporting special missions under the command of the Border Patrol Police. All members of PARU are trained for airborne operations including free-fall jumps. PARU provides support to the BPP Headquarters within 2 hours.
PARU also conducts training for the following:
- unconventional warfare, international counter-terrorism prevention, and parachute training of the Royal Thai Police.
- disaster and accident rescue on land and water including air-sea rescueAir-sea rescueAir-sea rescue is the coordinated search and rescue of the survivors of emergency water landings as well as people who have survived the loss of their sea-going vessel. ASR can involve a wide variety of resources including seaplanes, helicopters, submarines, rescue boats and ships...
.
Volunteer Defense Corps
The BPP organized the paramilitary Volunteer Defense Corps or VDC (the Or Sor, also called the Village Scouts) in 1954 to provide law and order and emergency or natural disaster response. This was done in response to complaints of banditry and harassment by subversive organizations. The VDC had the main responsibility for protecting local inhabitants from threats and intimidation by guerrillas who had infiltrated the border provinces from neighboring Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Its mission is to deny the insurgents access to the food and other supplies that made villages and farms favorite targets. VDC members were trained by the BPP. In 1974 it was expanded by the Internal Security Operations CommandInternal Security Operations Command
The Internal Security Operations Command is a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues. It was responsible for suppression of leftist groups during the 1970s and 1980s during which it was implicated in numerous atrocities against activists and civilians. The modern ISOC was...
(ISOC) to urban areas to fight left-wing political activism. The Village Scouts were subsequently involved in the Thammasat University massacre of 1976. In the late 1980s, VDC strength was estimated at roughly 33,000, down from a peak of about 52,000 in 1980. Part of the reduction was absorbed by the formation of the Thahan Phran, a paramilitary unit formed to counter communist insurgents. In the 21st century Internet censorship
Internet censorship
Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
, the village-scout concept was extended to or cyber scouts.
Thahan Phran
The 10,600 member Thahan PhranThahan Phran
The Thahan Phran is a paramilitary light infantry force which patrols the borders of Thailand and is part of the Royal Thai Army...
was formed as a volunteer militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
force deployed in active trouble spots along the Cambodian and Burmese borders. The organization followed a military structure and had 32 regiments and 196 companies. The Thahan Phran gained considerable publicity and incurred significant casualties during Vietnamese bombardments and local assaults
Vietnamese border raids in Thailand
After the 1978 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and defeat of Democratic Kampuchea in 1979, the Khmer Rouge fled to the border regions of Thailand, and with assistance from China Pol Pot's troops managed to regroup and reorganize in forested and mountainous zones on the Thai-Cambodian border...
along the Cambodian border.
See also
- Royal Thai PoliceRoyal Thai PoliceThe Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...
- Naresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism UnitNaresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism Unit-History:Special Operations Unit "Naraesuan 261" was set up in 1983, Buddhist year 2526, by a Thai Cabinet Resolution. The Resolution, dated February 1, 2526 , was a major policy decision designed to provide a force for counter-terrorism efforts....
- Naresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism Unit
- Internet censorship in ThailandInternet censorship in ThailandInternet censorship in Thailand was classified as substantial in the social area, as selective in the political and Internet tools areas, and no evidence of filtering was found in the conflict/security area by the OpenNet Initiative in May 2007. Thailand is on Reporters Without Borders list of...