COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION DIVISION

7 June 2012, UNAMID Media Brief

Thai peacekeepers leave Darfur

The Thai battalion has completed this week its service with the African Union – United Nations Mission in
Darfur (UNAMID), after 18 months in Mukjar, Central Darfur, where its peacekeepers have served and also
implemented several projects for the community.

The Thai soldiers have built three boreholes that provide water for approximately 3,000 people in Mukjar and
Forobaranga villages. Also, they improved roads and offered training for the local population. As one example
of their close involvement with the community, the departing peacekeepers trained Darfuris to construct
houses using mud bricks made from local materials. The method is said to be more environmentally friendly,
lower cost and easier to implement than competing building approaches.

As another example, they introduced the New Theory of Agriculture, which was developed in Thailand. The
skills training included comprehensive guidelines for efficiently managing land and water resources to create
optimum benefits for communities of different sizes. In addition to offering ways to use microorganisms
derived from existing materials as natural fertilizers instead of using chemicals, the theory outlines a
complete production system designed to help farmers, and their communities, become more self-reliant.

The Thai Battalion Commanding Officer, Col. Narongrit Panigabutr, expressed the gratitude of the Thai
peacekeepers to the people of Sudan, and especially the people of Mukjar, for their warm hospitality and
support. “The value of your kindness and sincerity will be kept in our memories forever,” he said.

He added that the good relationship the battalion maintained with local people and authorities led to effective
cooperation and coordination and allowed the peacekeepers to perform their duty smoothly.

The first 812 Thai soldiers came to Darfur on 4 December 2010. They rotated on 19 August 2011. All the
remaining Thai peacekeepers are expected to have cycled out by 9 June 2012.

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Communications and Public Information Division Media Contacts

Chris Cycmanick, Head, Media Relations, cycmanick@un.org, +249 912 538 436
Guiomar Pau, Media Relations, paug@un.org, +249 (0) 900 905 097
Rania Abdulrahman, Media Relations, abdulrahman30@un.org, +249 (0)91 250 1966
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