Mit Klaran
Amporn Chulert
The bodies of Chief Warrant Officer Mit Klaharn and CWO Amporn Chulert arrived yesterday at the air force's Don Muang airbase, where a ceremony was held to honour the fallen soldiers.
www.bangkokpost.net -- Part of the 150-million-baht reward from the US government for the arrest of terrorist suspect Hambali will be used to support the children of two Thai soldiers killed in a truck-bomb attack in Karbala, Iraq.
Mit Klaran
Amporn Chulert
The bodies of Chief Warrant Officer Mit Klaharn and CWO Amporn Chulert arrived yesterday at the air force's Don Muang airbase, where a ceremony was held to honour the fallen soldiers.
Defence Minister Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya said he had asked army commander Gen Chaisit Shinawatra to put aside some money from the 150-million-baht anti-terrorism fund for the care of CWO Mit's only son and CWO Amporn's two sons.
That way, CWO Amporn's dream for his 22-year-old son Chinakorn to become a military officer, would be fulfilled. The army would pay for the education of CWO Amporn's youngest son Chaisan, 18, who is studying at a vocational school in Ratchaburi and CWO Mit's only son Narongrit, 13, who is a Mathayom 1 student in Phatthalung.
Gen Chaisit said the 150-million-baht afund was set up with the reward money from the US for the Aug 11 arrest of Jemaah Islamiyah group leader Hambali in Ayutthaya.
Yesterday morning, the two officers' bodies arrived in brown western-style coffins at Don Muang airport on a TG-520 flight from Kuwait and were taken in a procession to Don Muang airbase for a ceremony to honour them.
Gen Thammarak, Supreme Commander Gen Somdhat Attanand, Gen Chaisit and air force chief ACM Kongsak Wanthana attended the ceremony.
The late soldiers' wives would get life insurance compensation and financial help worth nearly three million baht a head from the military, top officers and the Thai Military Bank. Royal decorations also would be sought for both of them.
After the ceremony at Don Muang, CWO Amporn's body was taken by an army autocade to Wat Sattabanparinart in his home province of Ratchaburi.
CWO Mit's body was flown by a G-222 air force plane to Wing 56 in Songkhla, and from there taken to Wat Khuan Maprao in his hometown Phatthalung.
The late officers would be promoted to major or lieutenant-colonel and their wives would receive pensions worth 30 times their husbands' monthly salaries. Meanwhile, Gen Thammarak has asked his close aide, Col Apinant Viriyachai, to visit the Thai contingent in Iraq and convey best wishes from the Thai public early next month.
Col Apinant would be accompanied by army spokesman Col Somkhuan Saengpattaranate and deputy defence spokesman Maj-Gen Palangkoon Klaharn. The delegation would also carry with them New Year greeting postcards from the public and gifts from the government. Two people who sent postcards to the Thai troops in Iraq would be selected from a lucky draw to join the Jan 12-17 visit.