Thai commander gets power to pull out of Iraq in case of emergency

Colonel Montri Umaporn, the commander of the Thai-Iraq Special Force 976, will coordinate with the Polish-led multinational force and could order the troops evacuated immediately in the event of an emergency, Chetta said.

Bangkok Senator Kraisak Choonhavan said that it was wrong for the government to let the chief of the Special Force in Iraq alone make the decision about any evacuation.

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"The Prime Minister and security heads should go to Iraq and assess the situation first hand," he said.

Thailand dispatched a contingent of 443 soldiers in September comprising medics, surveillance platoons and engineers to provide humanitarian assistance for Iraqis at the request of the US. Their commitment will end in September.

Two Thai soldiers were killed in December in a car explosion in front of the Lima camp in Karbala, 110 kilometres south of Baghdad, where the Thai troops are based.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned Foreign Minister Surakiart on Tuesday seeking to shore up Thai support for the US-led operation in Iraq, which has received a blow with the recent announcements by Spain, Honduras and the Dominican Republic of troop withdrawals.

Chetta said that if the situation deteriorated so that the Thai troops could no longer perform their humanitarian task they could leave for Kuwait along a prepared route.