Justice needed in far south : Gen Chavalit

In his speech to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Siam Rath newspaper, Chavalit said only the Patani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo) considers separation. Muslims who have lived in the southernmost provinces for a long time do not push for independence.

For another movement, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, or BRN, the call is for justice, he said. Chavalit read out a letter from BRN asking the government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to restore justice for the people in the predominantly Muslim region.

Chavalit quoted the BRN as saying the situation is far from peaceful because those who hold power have created a tense situation. The government is unable to control the military which does not want peace - and the military would never allow the government to enforce a politic-led strategy, he said.

"Don't say a politic-led strategy is being used - as long as the government cannot distinguish between political and military means," Chavalit said.

A demonstration of how the government is unable to bring justice to people, he said, is the case of Sama-ae Thanam - one of a group of PULO leaders arrested in 1998 in Malaysia and handed over to Thai authorities who sentenced him to death, commuted to life imprisonment.

The failure of peace negotiations since Somchai Wongsawat's government has intensified the violence and the enforcement of emergency laws worsened the situation, Chavalit said, quoting the BRN letter.