BANGKOK, 2 November 2004 — Thailand’s revered monarch has urged the government to use restraint in the restive south, where nearly 80 Muslims died in army custody, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday.
Thaksin, who met King Bhumibol Adulyadej late on Sunday, told reporters the world’s longest-reigning monarch was concerned about the situation in the mainly Muslim region, where at least 440 people have been killed since January.
“His majesty has urged both sides to refrain from violence — both the government and militants who keep hurting people,” Thaksin said.
The king is highly respected in Thai society and any of his remarks or suggestions are taken very seriously. The government, counting down to a general election expected in February, has faced worldwide criticism over last week’s death by suffocation of 78 of the more than 1,000 detainees crammed into army trucks and driven to a military barracks.
Seven more died of wounds after security forces fired live rounds, teargas and water cannon to quell a 1,500-strong crowd demanding the release of six villagers at police station in the southern province of Narathiwat.
Thaksin, who vowed to uncover the truth behind the deaths and punish any wrongdoers, appointed an independent probe, led by a former ombudsman. Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission wrapped up a four-day fact-finding mission to the south yesterday, saying the deaths were the result of negligence during transport of the prisoners.
“Although they did not intend to kill anyone, poor management and communication among agencies resulted in the deaths,” mission head Ambhorn Meesook said.
Islamic leaders and analysts say Muslim outrage at the “massacre”, could trigger reprisal attacks and attract more recruits to 10-month long unrest increasingly blamed on Muslim separatists.
The stock market has fallen sharply due to fears separatists might carry their struggle beyond the region’s three provinces — where a low-key separatist insurgency was fought in the 1970s and 1980s — to major tourist resorts or even the capital.
“The risk going forward is whether the separatist movement will grow stronger and whether it will expand its activities,” Phatra Securities said in a note to clients.
In the latest violence, a Buddhist man was killed by a gunman on a motorcycle yesterday. Three Buddhist vegetable sellers were injured in a gun attack in Narathiwat, police said.
Diplomats say Thaksin, a no-nonsense CEO-style leader who prefers the steamroller approach to problems, appears to be no closer to coming up with a coherent and consistent policy on the south after numerous cabinet and security team rejigs.
