Thailand's Gen Songwit Receives M'sian Army Maroon Beret, Honorary Airborne Wing

MELAKA, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Royal Thai Armed Forces Chief Gen Songwit Noonpackdee today received the highest honour of the Malaysian Army 10th Parachute Brigade in the form of the maroon beret and honorary airborne wing at Dataran Parawood, 8th Royal Malay Regiment, Terendak Camp in Melaka.

Malaysian Chief of Defence Force Gen Tan Sri Mohammad Abdul Rahman conferred the maroon beret and honorary airborne wing on Gen Songwit, the 70th recipient of the award.

Also present were Royal Thai Army Advisory Board chairman Gen Kittisak Boonprathamchai and Malaysian Chief of Army Gen Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, the last recipient of the award before Gen Songwit.

The Army Public Relations Cell, in a statement today, said the event began with a demonstration of the 10th Brigade (Para) involving 22 officers and 1,200 members of other ranks performing free diving, unarmed combat, combat swimming, tactical combat casualty care, multi-purpose tower demonstration and section attacks.

Spectators were also treated to a military tactical glider freefall demonstration from 5,000 feet using a Royal Malaysian Air Force EC 725 aircraft and an unarmed combat training show by the 361 Battery of the Royal Parachute Artillery Regiment.

Also featured were a task show to find, detect and track enemy groups by a section that performed combat swimming with two combat tracking teams and a tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) show that provided basic rapid emergency treatment on the battlefield.

Other performances staged included an Agusta A-109 helicopter light observation show and target destruction fire by MD 530 as close combat attack (CCA), low-level air defence fire support using Anza MK-II missiles, and a war dance by the 10th Brigade (Para).

--BERNAMA