Military shouldn't have free hand in south

Previously, the military was keen to sidestep such allegations, shifting the blame to the government and its responsibility for the violence in the restive south.

Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was easy to blame for his harsh handling of the situation from the time it erupted in January 2004.

However, unfortunately for its critics, this AI report is focused on systematic military torture and other ill-treatment of suspects that took place mainly between March 2007 and May 2008.

The deep South was then fully controlled by the military since the military-installed Surayud Chulanont government had given it a free hand. The elected Samak Sundaravej cabinet that followed rarely took interest in the region.

The AI claimed "Thai security forces have systematically relied on torture and other cruel, inhuman degrading treatment of punishment in their effort to obtain information, to extract confessions to compensate poor intelligence and evidence gathering."

Lt. General Pichet told reporters shortly after the report's release on Tuesday that it was groundless since the military had no policy of using such cruel methods to interrogate suspect militants.

However, nobody accused the military of issuing a torture policy.

The commander might not be aware that a Narathiwat court ruled on December 25, after an inquest, that Imam Yapa Kaseng, 56, had been tortured and killed by soldiers while being interrogated on March 20-21, in a Narathiwat military camp.

The inquest determined the cause of Imam Yapa's death was blunt-force trauma, including rib fractures from the front, side, and back that punctured his lungs.

Bruises and wounds were found all over his body, including his eyes, forehead, and lips. Imam Yapa also had long abrasion marks on his back, indicating he may have been dragged on his ankles across a hard and rough surface.

AI's report and Yapa's case suggest to the new government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that this country cannot rely on the military to have a free hand in running the predominantly Muslim region. The soldiers, due to their frustration from a  prolonged situation, tend to answer violence with violence.

Such tit-for-tat tactics provide good fertiliser for the militants to escalate their campaign under the pretext of fighting for justice against Bangkok.