Thailand extends insurgency emergency

Thailand’s government said today that it is extending a state of emergency in three southern provinces for an additional three months to deal with a Muslim insurgency that has left more than 1,200 dead.

The emergency, first imposed in the region in July, was extended in the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Buddhist Thailand’s only Muslim-majority areas, said government spokesman Suraphong Suebwonglee.

Emergencies let the government impose curfews, ban public gatherings, censor and ban publications, detain suspects without charge, confiscate property and tap telephones.

The order also makes officials immune from “civil, criminal and disciplinary penalties” while carrying out acts – including the killings of civilians - under its provisions.

Rights activist say the emergency has failed to contain the growing violence, and has instead worsened the situation by allowing violations of constitutional rights.

More than 1,200 people have been killed since the insurgency flared in January 2004. Southern Muslims complain that the central government discriminates against them, especially in employment and education, because of their religious, linguistic and cultural differences.

The emergency had been extended in October, and that extension was due to expire this week, Suraphong said.

Meanwhile, a leading forensic expert is set to exhume some 300 unclaimed bodies from the insurgency to investigate possible extra-judicial killings and the involvement of foreigners in the ongoing violence, officials said today.

The bodies will be taken from Muslim graveyards in three provinces for DNA testing in an investigation by the Law Society of Thailand, the National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Justice’s Forensic Department, said Somchai Homlaho, who represents the legal group.