Thailand ends emergency rule in part of restive south

Thailand's cabinet agreed Tuesday to lift a five-year-old state of emergency in one area of its restive deep south as a test case for the rest of the Muslim-majority region, officials said. The emergency laws - which give broad powers to security forces - will be rolled back in Mae Lan district in Pattani, one of three provinces near the Malaysian border which have been under the decree since 2005.
They will be replaced by the less severe Internal Security Act. "It shows the government is making progress in addressing the problem of unrest in the south," said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, noting that there was a decline in the number of violent incidents this year. The authorities said they were also considering lifting emergency rule in two more districts, one in Yala province and another in neighbouring Narathiwat.
Suspected Islamic insurgents have waged a violent campaign in the region since early 2004, leaving more than 4,400 people dead, both Muslims and Buddhists. The latest victims included a 37-year-old Buddhist who was gunned down Monday while riding a motorcycle to work in Pattani.
In neighbouring Narathiwat a 27-year-old Muslim ranger and his elderly father were shot dead at a rubber plantation. An alleged insurgent also died Tuesday in Pattani province in a clash with security forces that also left four police officers injured, officials said.
Rights campaigners have criticised the state of emergency, saying it effectively gives the security forces legal immunity. The decree allows the army to detain suspects for questioning without charge and there have been several cases of people dying in military custody in what their relatives say were suspicious circumstances. About 30,000 soldiers are stationed in the region along with thousands of paramilitary troops, battling shadowy militants whose precise aims are unclear. Thailand recently lifted a separate emergency decree in Bangkok and nearby areas that was introduced in April in response to anti-government protests that eventually left over 90 people dead in clashes between troops and protesters.