Anand, as chairman of the National Reconciliation Commis-sion (NRC), warned that the State of Emergency Decree would only lead to more violence and possibly a “real crisis” as the authorities’ main problem was a lack of efficiency, and not lack of power.

“The authorities have worked inefficiently. They have arrested innocent people instead of the real culprits, leading to mistrust among locals. So, giving them broader power may lead to increased violence and eventually a real crisis,” said Anand after emerging from a meeting of an NRC working group last night at Government House.

“We [the NRC] agreed that this government’s ideas are not compatible with reconciliation efforts,” he told reporters. Anand urged the government to change its policies so that they were more in synch with the principle of reconciliation.

Anand yesterday met Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for about 40 minutes in Thaksin’s office. Also present at the meeting was Borwornsak Uwanno, the Cabinet secretary-general, who also sits on the NRC.

Thaksin said afterwards that the discussion was about concerns over the new decree and issues to be debated at today’s Cabinet meeting. He did not elaborate.

Anand said last night that he had informed the prime minister about the NRC’s unease over how the government would use the decree.

NRC members will gather at the Foreign Ministry to discuss the matter this afternoon, Anand said. “I expect there will be concrete measures presented to the prime minister,” he said.

Anand said that the administration should have issued such legislation through Parliament – in the form of an act.

The new decree was approved by the Cabinet on Friday and received Royal endorsement on Saturday.

He said the way the decree was issued made people suspicious and encouraged mistrust of the government.

“If the decree had been passed with Parliament’s approval, people would feel better,” Anand said before the NRC began a meeting to discuss the emergency powers.

“The important question is, when the power is exercised, will it be according to human rights (principles) and other laws?” he said.

However, Anand agreed that there were “many good things” in the decree, for example, actions like phone tapping and detention of suspects required court permission.

The NRC chairman said members of his panel would continue with their task despite the issuance of the decree.

“We will continue with our work without change,” he said, responding to speculation that many NRC members would quit.

An NRC subcommittee yesterday proposed that the government set up an independent panel to accept complaints from local residents. It also called on the government not to issue any order prohibiting peaceful assemblies or obstructing media coverage.

Prawase Wasi, a member of the NRC, urged the government to employ its emergency powers with caution in order to avoid causing injustice and even further violence in the deep South.

“The government should tread carefully. If there is a mistake, I believe the violence will worsen,” he said.

Interior Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya, who is in charge of security affairs, said yesterday that he did not think the decree would affect the everyday life of locals in areas where a state of emergency was declared.

Chidchai said he would invite editors of all newspapers and TV stations to a press conference and would discuss the issues in detail after Cabinet endorsed the declaration of emergency areas later today.

Chamlong Srimuang, a former deputy prime minister, yesterday expressed support for the emergency decree. He said it was needed as violence was growing in the Muslim-majority border provinces.

However, he cautioned the government to exercise its new emergency powers with care. He also urged members of the public to monitor the government’s use of the powers.

Suriyasai Katasila, the secretary-general of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, challenged the government to promise that with the emergency powers, it would ease violence in the deep South within three months or it would quit “to allow others to solve the problem”.

Piyanart Srivalo,

Satien Wiriyapanpongsa

The Nation