The boys in black : the Thahan Phran (Rangers), Thailand's paramilitary border guards /
Desmond Ball
- Bangkok : White Lotus, 2004
- xxvi, 332 p. : ill.
Detailed study of the Thahan Phran, a volunteer organisation founded by the Royal Thai Army in 1978 to combat communist insurgents. Subsequently the Rangers have become the first-line defence for Thailand's borders and are used in a variety of other roles with numbers reaching 20,000 in the early 1990s. Accused of human rights abuses, political activities, and corruption, it must also be noted that the rangers have suffered heavy casualties and operate in dangerous border areas especially those shared with Burma. Concludes with a look forward to how the force could be adapted to meet current requirements and expectations.