Following several violent bombing incidents in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, several years ago, when Lieutenant General Pichet Wisaijorn assumed the post of the Commanding General of the Fourth Army Area Command, he immediately formulated the “Citizens Radio Network” for the protection of Hat Yai. The project is commonly known, by the distinct character of the device, as “Red Radio.”

The network employs CB or Citizens’ Band, a system of short-distance radio communication between individuals using the frequency of 245 MHz. Lieutenant General Pichet sought cooperation from various enterprises, especially hotels and entertainment venues, to join the network with volunteers as members. They help monitor irregular incidents and report them immediately to relevant authorities. From the starting number in the hundreds, membership has swollen to thousands.