US, Thailand inaugurate elite border patrol police training facility
A US-funded renovation of the Thai Border Patrol Police Close Quarter Battle Training Facility in Chiang Mai province’s Mae Taeng district was unveiled on Friday.
US Embassy chargé d’affaires Michael Heath and Pol Maj-General Varayuth Sukhawat, deputy chief of Border Patrol Police (BPP), presided over the inauguration.
The upgraded facility, which is a testament to the long-standing US-Thai partnership, will help ensure law enforcement authorities can better protect communities in Thailand and across the region from transnational crimes, said a press release issued by the US Embassy and Consulate in Thailand.
The US$600,000 (THB19.8 million) renovation added shooting ranges, a mock village, a three-storey tactical training building, and state-of-the-art-equipment including a closed-circuit digital recording system to the training facility. The BPP will utilise this improved facility to conduct training scenarios in a variety of environments and review and analyse footage of the training for future improvements.
Apart from funding the facility’s renovation, the United States’ overall $1.2 million (THB40 million) contribution to the BPP in northern Thailand will ensure that this facility will support future training programmes of the BPP, the statement said.
At the opening ceremony on Friday, Michael Heath highlighted the breadth and depth of the US-Thai partnership and underscored security collaboration between both nations.
“Our longstanding law enforcement cooperation combats transnational crimes, including illicit trafficking of people, narcotics and wildlife, keeping people of both our countries and the region safe,” said Heath.
“US support for this facility, which will enhance the BBP’s ability to counter illicit transborder activities, demonstrates our commitment to our partner and ally Thailand,” said Rear Admiral Charles Fosse, director of the US Indo-Pacific Command’s Joint Interagency Task Force West, which provided funding for this training centre.
Varayuth thanked “our US partners for long-term support and continued collaboration”.
The United States and Thailand have been cooperating to advance mutual interests in all sectors, including health, commerce, education, and security. The US’s extensive law enforcement partnership signals the importance it places on Thailand as a strategic partner and regional leader, the embassy statement said.
