Man arrested in Rohingya case

The suspect, identified as 42-year-old Safi Ammad, was arrested on Friday for allegedly smuggling as many as 1,000 migrants into Thailand, including the Rohingya from Burma and Bangladesh, DSI spokesman Police Colonel Narat Sawettanant said.

Ammad, a roti-seller, denied any wrongdoing. Police remain unsure whether he is a Burmese or Bangladeshi national.

The DSI yesterday requested court permission to detain the suspected trafficker for an initial 12-day period until March 4 pending further investigation, Narat said, adding that the DSI had also asked the court not to grant bail for fear that the suspect might flee or tamper with evidence.

Narat yesterday reported progress in the investigation into the "threat to national security", saying many groups involved in the smuggling of Rohingya were also involved in drug dealing and passport and ID-card forgery.

In a related development, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday called on the international media to provide evidence to back up allegations that the Thai military had abused Burmese migrants, Agence France-Presse reported from Jakarta.

Abhisit, who was on a visit to Indonesia, said Thai authorities have not uncovered "the kind of abuse claimed by some of the people that have spoken to the international media."

Speaking after meeting Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan, the PM said: "I insist that if the international media have evidence otherwise they should submit it to the Thai government and the human-rights commission, which is an independent body in Thailand."

Thailand faces criticism over claims that its security forces have abused Rohingya migrants, hundreds of whom have been rescued in Indian and Indonesian waters in recent