Thahan Phran

Thahan Phran
Official Thahan Phran Beret Capbadge
Active	1978 - Present
Country	Thailand
Branch	Royal Thai Army
Type	Paramilitary Force
Role	Light Infantry
Garrison/HQ	Pak Thong Chai
Nickname(s)	Nak rob sua dum (นักรบเสื้อดำ) English translation : Black shirt warrior Iron Flowers (Female personnel)
Motto(s)	Chad Sassana Pramahakasat (Nation, Religion, Monarchy)
Colors	Black

The Thahan Phran (ทหารพราน; literally "hunter soldiers"; AKA Thai Rangers) is a paramilitary light infantry force which patrols the borders of Thailand and is an auxiliary of the Royal Thai Army (RTA). The Thahan Phran operate in conjunction with the Border Patrol Police (BPP), but are trained and equipped to engage in combat while the BPP is primarily a law enforcement agency.

The Thahan Phran was established in 1978 to fight Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) guerrillas and drive them from their mountain strongholds in northeast Thailand. Conceived by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then Director of the Army Operations Centre at RTA headquarters in Bangkok, the unit was to be composed of recruits from regions affected by the communist insurgency, who would be given intensive training courses of 45 days, issued with modern weapons, and then sent back to their villages to mount guerrilla operations against the communists.

Some of the Thahan Phran's initial recruits were convicted criminals whose sentences were remitted; others joined to obtain parcels of land granted as a reward for successful campaigns. To some extent the Thahan Phran were intended to supplant the Volunteer Defense Corps, a civilian militia responsible for protecting the local population from guerrillas. By late 1981, Thahan Phran had replaced up to 80 percent of regular army units in counter-insurgency operations on the Burmese, Cambodian and Malaysian borders.

Thahan Phran units conducted numerous operations against Khun Sa in the Golden Triangle and also participated in security actions during the standoff at Prasat Preah Vihear in 2008 and 2009.

The Thahan Phran have had a troubled history, with units often accused of atrocities, abuse of authority, and involvement in the drug trade. It has been reported that these units include local thugs who make use of their status to commit crimes against their fellow citizens. Numerous reforms have been made since the 1980s, particularly in screening recruits, and it is a more professional force than twenty years ago, but serious problems with discipline and human rights abuses remain.