Lifting decree merits thought

EDITORIAL

The defection of 93 former Islamic militants who were brought before the media at the Narathiwat provincial Islamic office on Sept 11 might have been seen as a photo-op for Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorach, commander of the 4th Army Region, to showcase his achievement in convincing the group to stop their armed struggle and turn over a new leaf.

But the event nonetheless represented a small but significant step forward in the government's attempts to restore peace and order in the restive deep South through non-military means.

It is quite encouraging that the government has, of late, escalated efforts aimed at convincing more militants and their sympathisers to turn themselves in. Among the steps being mulled include an amendment to Section 21 of the Internal Security Act to introduce a re-education programme for defectors in lieu of criminal prosecution; a gradual lifting of the emergency decree in areas considered as safe or free of violent incidents perpetrated by militants; and possible revocation of arrest warrants issued under the decree.

Both the 4th Army Region and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) have agreed to set up committees to launch a campaign to encourage militants and their sympathisers to defect. Moreover, the Interior Ministry is to play a more pro-active role in the restive region with a plan to set up a forward office to bring together the work of all local officials including kamnan, village heads and community leaders.

The key person who will head this new unit is former SBPAC chief Panu Uthairat who was transferred to an inactive post at the Prime Minister's Office last October to pave the way for Pol Col Thawee Sodsong to take over the top job at the SBPAC.

The emergency decree which has been imposed in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat for more than seven years has proven ineffective in preventing or stopping militant gangs from carrying out attacks, even in urban areas. A glaring case was the car bomb attack in Saiburi district of Pattani on Sept 21 which killed six people and injured 44 others.

It appeared that there was a huge security lapse among security forces manning road checkpoints as they failed to detect the bomb-rigged pickup truck that blew up.

Worse yet, the emergency decree has been the subject of numerous complaints of abuse.

A provision which allows authorities to detain a suspect without charge for up to 30 days instead of seven days normally, and another empowering officials to make house searches without a court warrant, are cited most often in complaints.

The new National Security Council chief Lt Gen Paradon Patthanabut has hinted that the emergency decree could be gradually lifted next year depending on the situation in each specific district.

Figures for attacks which occurred from October last year until the end of August this year show that out of a total of 1,609 villages in 33 districts in the three southernmost provinces, violent incidents were reported in only 257 villages with the rest free of any violence perpetrated by militants.

Army commander-in-chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha has strong reservations about any blanket lifting of the decree, claiming this could hamper the performance of security forces.

But seven years is a long enough period to prove the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the decree. It is about time this iron-fisted measure was given a serious rethink.

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Source: http://www.news.thethailandlinks.com/2012/09/27/lifting-decree-merits-thought/