The Fourth Army Region overseeing the restive southern region will have Maj Gen Chakrit Ucharatana as its new commander this October, according to the Royal Gazette published on September 11.
Chakrit, currently deputy commander of the Fourth Army Region, will be promoted to lieutenant general and take over as Fourth Army Region commander from Lt Gen Norathip Poynok, effective October 1.
Norathip will become assistant to the army commander-in-chief in the latest reshuffle of senior military officers.
Chakrit is a graduate of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Class 28.
He also currently serves as deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4 Forward Command and its spokesman.
A special forces officer with extensive experience in special operations, Chakrit has served as commander of the 1st Special Warfare Battalion and chief of staff of the Special Warfare Command.
He later became commander of the 1st Special Warfare Division before being appointed deputy commander of the Fourth Army Region in 2024.
He has served in the southern border provinces since 1993 and has held several positions there, including commander of the Santisuk Task Force.
His experience includes security operations, force deployment and responses to security situations, as well as public outreach and communication with local communities. He is due to retire in 2029.
During Norathip's tenure as commander, which began in October last year, he attracted controversy over some of his public comments.
In April, he apologised after remarks suggesting that ‘pondoks’ (traditional Islamic boarding schools) and ‘tadikas’ (Islamic kindergartens) could be breeding grounds for violence triggered criticism from Muslim religious-school communities.
Muslim groups in the South have previously rallied and demanded his transfer.
