Thailand's Supreme Command Headquarters would send troops to join the United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan from late this year, said a senior officer Tuesday.
Lt.Gen Palangkoon Klahan, director of the Military's Civil Affairs Division, said 800 Thai soldiers would participate in the peacekeeping mission in the western region of Darfur, which makes Thailand the only country outside the African Union member countries selected to join the task.
The Thai troops would leave Thailand tentatively on Dec. 31, Palangkoon was quoted by Thai News Agency as saying.
The Thai military's task would cover protection of civilians, their buildings and facilities as well as ensuring free movement of staff working for the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, said Palangkoon.
They would also help to enforce the Darfur Peace Agreement and prevent any attempt to obstruct it, he said.
The Thai troops would be under the command of the AU-UN joint special representative, Rodolphe Adada, and would initially stay in Sudan for a year, said the director. An extension of the mission would be considered on a year-by-year basis.
The Cabinet has approved the mission and agreed to allocate 350million baht (10.3 million U.S. dollars) as reserved fund for the first six months.
The United Nations Security Council authorized the peacekeeping mission in Darfur earlier this year in an effort to quell the fighting between rebels and government forces in Darfur since 2003.
Source: Xinhua
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