ISA may replace draconian emergency decree in South

The government extended the enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in parts of the deep South for one more year on Friday, with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordering that security agencies look into the possibility to expanding it to other areas now under a much tighter clampdown.

The decision, reached at a special cabinet meeting of selected ministers and National Security Council chiefs, means four districts of Songkhla and Mae Lan district in Pattani are still covered by the ISA, while the rest of  Pattani and the other southernmost border provinces of Narathiwat and Yala remain under the more draconian emergency decree.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who was in the meeting, said the prime minister had ordered a thorough study of the possibility of lifting the emergency decree in other districts of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala and replacing it with the ISA.

The government should impose the decree in as few areas as possible in the southern border region, the prime minister was quoted as saying.

She did not expect the government would come under pressure from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) over this decision, she added.

Ms Yingluck will now more involved with the southern issues, including takoing a closer look at the budget used to fight militants and restore peace in the region, and is giving additional roles for Defence Minister ACM Sukumpol Suwanatat in overseeing security affairs.

ACM Sukumpol was appointed to the new tasks on Wednesday.

The districts under the ISA are Na Thawee, Saba Yoi, Thepha and Chana of Songkhla and Mae Lan in Pattani.

Thailand is at odds with the OIC, which reported it sees no progress in how the government is tackling unrest in the deep South at its foreign ministers meeting in Djibouti on Nov 15-17, where Thailand was an observer.

Vice foreign minister Jullapong Nonsrichai. who attended the meeting, said he was disappointed with the OIC secretarial office's use of the word "meagre"' to describe the progress in the Thai government's efforts to resolve the southern conflict.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said on Thursday he will give a letter to OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on Saturday, reaffirming the government's intention to cooperate with the OIC in seeking a lasting peace in the southernmost provinces.

Mr Ihsanoglu will make a stopover at Suvarnabhumi airport on his way to Brunei.

Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 01/12/2012 at 03:12 AM
Can anyone tell me what are the objectives of the Govt. regarding the wellbeing of the people of the Deep South? Is it to maintain Law & Order, or rather to reduce the local population in a hurry? The Army's leaky and expensive airships pretty much symbolize how things are going in the Deep South as far as the Govt and the Military are concerned. Translation, the situation is absolutely HOPELESS.
Discussion 2 : 30/11/2012 at 10:13 PM
So will what will this reduce, violence? Me don't think so, these guys are openly killing people in daylight and getting away with it. With the law getting more lenient it will get tougher to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys. There can be no improvement in the south until the violence is snuffed out. And just how, this is going to be done without state violence remains a mystery. No sane business would want to invest in the south, so how do you create more jobs? Should we move parliament house there?
Discussion 3 : 30/11/2012 at 05:42 PM
“Ms Yingluck will now more involved with the southern issues, including taking a closer look at the budget used to fight militants” With this kind of mentality you will never solve the Southern eruption and will last more than Philippines conflict. Admit your Dubai man mistakes publicly in Tak Bai and Kru Si, compensate the victims families including police and military personal, improve their economy, include more infrastructure projects in your yearly budget, Let they rule themselves and choose who represent them in the government, “Love them and they will love you” A Standard anthropology Law Ms PM Yingluck.

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