Seven of 16 emergency powers to be applied to counter militants, but Thaksin can impose others as he sees fit

The government yesterday imposed emergency rule in the three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces but opted to apply only seven of the 16 measures allowed under the State of Emergency Decree, in an apparent concession after strong criticism of the new law.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said measures involving the media would be avoided and applied only when deemed necessary, such as in cases where it was decided that media reports were intended to be misleading so as to cause fear and misunderstanding.

The decree empowers the prime minister to apply any of the measures at any time he sees fit.

The government yesterday revoked martial law in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and declared a “severe state of emergency” across the three border provinces, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told a press conference at Government House.

Earlier, security agencies suggested that four Songkhla districts that border those provinces – Thepha, Saba Yoi, Chana and Na Thawi – also be declared emergency areas.

The prime minister “saw no need” for Songkhla to be covered in the plan as violent incidents in those districts did not occur as frequently as they did in the three border provinces, government spokesman Chalermdej Jombunud said.

Thaksin told reporters that putting Songkhla under emergency rule would cause widespread concern among the public.

The Cabinet yesterday resolved to give local authorities the power to hold suspects without charge, summon people and seize documents when investigating violent incidents, seize suspicious objects, conduct searches, as well as remove or destroy parts of structures when deemed necessary.

Local authorities can also expel foreigners and ban the sale of items that could be used as weapons to create violence.

Those items could include mobile-phone SIM cards, which have been used to trigger bombs in recent attacks.

Local authorities will also have the power to call in military reinforcements to help civil officials and police curb violence.

The application of the measures will take effect when they are published in the Royal Gazette.

Other measures that have not been applied include curfews, phone tapping and a ban on public assembly, according to Wissanu.

The Cabinet yesterday appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya, who is in charge of security affairs, to head a committee to manage emergencies in the deep South, Wissanu said.

The Cabinet also agreed in principle to appoint former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, chairman of the National Reconciliation Commission, to head a committee that will accept complaints on human-right violations.

That committee will be set up after the new law takes effect, Wissanu said.

Meanwhile, Thaksin said he believed some high-ranking military officers had not worked to the best of their ability in the deep South. “These military leaders should visit the area to assist their subordinates,” he said.

Thaksin warned he would “take care of them” in a major military reshuffle next month.