Group slams govt's decree for South
An Army officer stands guard yesterday as children at a school in Yala’s Raman district take part in sports day
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A human-rights group in the US has condemned Thailand's Emergency Decree - which was extended for another three months yesterday, on its first anniversary.
The US-based Human Rights First released a report yesterday titled "Losing Ground: Human Rights Defenders and Counter-terrorism in Thailand", which attacked the decree. "It is clear that the measure has weakened essential human-rights protections, further fuelling the violence in southern Thailand," the report said. The government introduced the controversial law last July, claiming it would help curb violence in the three southernmost provinces. The law, which allows suspects to be detained for 30 days without charge, sparked an outcry from local rights activists and academics. "Thailand's reputation on human rights is at risk because it is not addressing serious abuses in its southern provinces, including arbitrary detention and disappearances," said Maureen Byrnes, executive director of Human Rights First. She said more than 20 human-rights defenders had been killed or had disappeared over the past five years. The most notable case was the disappearance of prominent Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. The report said human-rights defenders were being threatened throughout the country. "The Thai government has an obligation to protect its human-rights activists and hold their killers accountable," Byrnes said. The report said the government should repeal the law, or at least modify articles authorising detention without charge, as well as the "licence-to-kill" provisions granting immunity to security forces for rights violations. The Cabinet has a different opinion, however, and agreed yesterday to the law being extended for another three months. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya said local officials had reported that the law had helped provide safety to residents. Officials were also able to detain more suspects, said government spokesperson Surapong Suebwonglee. So far, 604 suspected militants had been detained and 472 identified. He did not disclose how many had been charged. He said the law had helped to reduce violent incidents from 500 cases per month to fewer than 100. This caused local people to have greater confidence in government officials. Meanwhile, Telephone Organisation of Thailand employee Larb Kongsuwan was shot three times by two gunmen while working in Pattani's Saiburi district. Larb was hospitalised and the two suspected militants remained at large, police said. More than 1,400 people have been killed since the violence erupted in the deep South in January 2004.
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