Thailand to extend emergency rule in Muslim south
Afp, Bangkok
Thailand will extend a state of emergency in its southern provinces, a government official said yesterday, as separatist violence in the Muslim-majority region continues to claim lives almost daily. The controversial state of emergency, which gives wide-ranging powers to security forces, would be extended by three months from July 19, said Pongpayom Vasaphuti, a senior official from the Ministry of Interior. "We need to further extend the expiring emergency rule in the deep south," he told reporters. The law covers the three worst-affected provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, as well as some districts of nearby Songkhla province. Pongpayom said that the decision to extend the law was made at a meeting of senior security officials chaired by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who was installed after a coup in Thailand in September 2006. However, the decision is subject to final cabinet endorsement, he said.
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