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Published on April 18, 2008

The Nation

 

Martial law will soon be lifted in all but the three southernmost provinces suffering separatist violence, although some areas will come under the new National Security Act that was passed earlier this year.

The decision came after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej chaired a National Security Council meeting yesterday. The lifting of martial law in 31 provinces, covering 179 districts, is part of an effort to normalise the situation following last December's general election.

Martial law was imposed in many provinces following the September 2006 coup that ousted the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.

Army chief General Anupong Paochinda, a member of the Council for National Security, formed after the coup, welcomed the move and expressed hope that the lifting of martial law would help Thailand's international standing

Samak said the new security law would not be applied countrywide but selectively, mostly at border provinces where drug- and human-trafficking take place.

The National Security Act is the product of the Army-sponsored 2007 Constitution and junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly.

It has been strongly opposed by human-rights activists and a number of civil groups as martial law in disguise.

Four districts in Songkhla province will receive special consideration due to their proximity to the three problem provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala in the deep South.

Meanwhile, the government is also seeking to extend the existing emergency decree covering the three provinces for a further three months.

The decree expires on Saturday, and the Cabinet will hold a special meeting to approve the extension today.

As part of the ongoing multi-pronged strategy to tackle separatist violence in the South, the government will also extend university-education support to students in the area for another five years - from 2009 to 2014.