THAILAND: Violent insurgency 'worsened' by extra-judicial attacks
Updated
At least two people have died and up to 20 others have been injured, in a twin bomb attack in the southern Thai province of Yala. Both bombs were hidden in a motorcycle. The first exploded during the morning rush hour, while the second was detonated shortly afterwards as police rushed to the scene. The anonymous attacks were typical of the insurgency in Thailand's Muslim-majority south. The violence is often anonymous, and analysts believe several groups are involved, united only in their opposition to regional control by Bangkok. Now the US-based agency Human Rights Watch says the violence is being compounded by extra-judicial attacks being carried out by the Thai security forces. It says the attacks are undermining efforts by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to adopt a more reconciliatory approach, and to seek talks with insurgent groups.
Presenter: Ron Corben
Speakers: Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch
CORBEN: The insurgent violence in southern Thailand has claimed up to 2,400 lives since January 2004. The insurgent attacks are increasingly gruesome, including beheadings, drive-by shootings as well as bombings and shotgun murders of teachers and civil servants. During deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's time in office the military was accused by rights groups of acts of extra-judicial violence and kidnappings. Brad Adams, head of the US-based Human Rights group was told by senior military figures close to the current government and based on Human Rights Watch's own research that such violence has continued.
ADAMS: In the south the army is still committing extra-judicial executions, lots of cases of torture, arbitrary arrests and disappearances, and making the situation worse down there. Where the Thai government needs to win over hearts and minds, it's actually alienating exactly the kind of people it needs for there to be any possibility of reconciliation.
CORBEN: Now what you're saying about the South is in many ways a contradiction of what Prime Minister Surayud has been proclaiming that he is following a policy of reconciliation?
ADAMS: General Surayud has from the day he took office said the right things about the South. He said that the main reason that the insurgency started was a lack of justice in the South. He's recognised poor socio-economic conditions in the South and he has continued to talk about respecting human rights and reconciliation. The problem is that there are many factions in the Thai military and police who simply don't agree with him. They think that if only the Thai state reacted more strongly a solution would be reached sooner. On extra-judicial killings we know, from our own research we know, that there are certain units that essentially death squads, and we know that the army has consciously sent in the army rangers who are very poorly disciplined to do some of their dirty work.
CORBEN: I asked Adams whether the death squads were still operational even after the change of government following the coup of September 19 2006.
ADAMS: Yes September 19th 2006 has had no influence on the factionalised Thai army politics that exists in implementing policies in the South. So there have been periods that have been worse and there have been periods that have been better, but yes these abuses continue.
CORBEN: Now on the other side of that is the crimes that have been carried out by the insurgents, I mean what's the assessment there? Is it simply them pursuing this idea of the Pattani state or is it in response to disappearances? What's the dynamics?
ADAMS: It's very clear that a new generation of militants is in the ascendency in the South that they have embraced violence for its own sake because they believe it will create the kind of polarisation in society in the South that will lead ultimately to independence. They have embraced attacks on civilians, these are intentional and they're quite appalling. What the militants want is an overreaction from the Thai government and the Thai military, because they want to demonstrate to the community in the South that they should not have any loyalty, allegiance or hope with the Thai state. So there's a vicious circle which is intentional.
CORBEN: Adams says to break the cycle of violence the Thai state has to halt abuses and turn to what he terms a human rights solution. But he says the way ahead is still a difficult path for the Thai state.
ADAMS: The Thai government has to end extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture and disappearances. It needs to fight a counter-insurgency within the law. As we've seen in so many other parts of the world if you meet force with force unless you can win that battle very quickly, you actually make things worse. The situation has degraded so badly that we're talking three to five years at best before they're likely to see a good trend.
