SENATE WANTS SOME ANSWERS

When the Thaksin-led government waged a war against drugs, 3,000 were
reportedly killed, making headlines all over the world and prompting the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a high-ranking
official to probe into human rights issues in the country. This is
definitely not something to boast about.

When the violence in the three Southern provinces began to escalate this
year, a military post was robbed on Jan 4, several hundreds of guns were
stolen and four soldiers were killed. Since then, various cases of
harassment, assassinations and abductions have been reported, allegedly at
the hands of the authorities. The most sensational case was the
disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichitr, a Muslim lawyer dedicated to
defending Muslims arrested on charges of terrorism or being members of the
Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group.

The Senate set up an extraordinary committee to investigate into Mr
Somchai's mysterious disappearance, resulting in investigations and the
arrests of five police officers to date.

On April 28, the violence in the South reached new heights, when the
security services fended off a coordinated series of around 10 attacks,
killing 107 of their assailants in the process and losing five of their own
men.

At Krue Se Mosque in Pattani alone, 32 militants were killed, and in
Sabayoi, Songkhla, 17 Muslim youths who were soccer players were gunned
down. The two incidents were highly criticised as disproportionate
responses by the police: at least 30 of those killed were said to be
sheltering in the mosque and most were armed only with machetes.

The image of Thailand in the eyes of human rights advocates is therefore
tarnished. Authorities argued the massacre was inevitable _ they had to
kill or be killed. They also cited the murders of 119 civil servants,
military personnel, monks and villagers to justify the action. But the
claims rang hallow, given what happened at the Krue Se Mosque in
particular. Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh had ordered the
blockade of the ancient mosque and the arrests of the militants, but a
general who had no commanding power ordered the security forces to open
fire. Hours after, the general was transferred from the area on the grounds
that he had disobeyed orders.

Not surprisingly, the news spread all over the world despite the invitation
to ambassadors to Thailand to hear the truth and the promise of a detailed
report on the incident.

The Senate filed a motion to invite the prime minister to explain the
incident at Parliament, but this was voted down. When the Senate debated
the incident, only the defence minister attended. However, Gen Chettha
Thanajaro could not give satisfactory explanations, only saying that the
ministry would disseminate a detailed report on the incident. I pointed out
some points of controversy, such as who had the commanding mandate at the
mosque and the Sabayoi incident in which some said the massacres could have
been avoided.

In the latest development, the premier approved the setup of a panel to
look into the facts surrounding the April 28 incident. The investigations
will be effective and credible only if the members are impartial and
representatives of the Muslim community are included.

Many senators pointed out that the government has no clear policy to solve
the problems. Only men have been changed _ never the policy.

Another point I raised was the authorities' claim that the Muslim youths
who were sent to study in the Middle East could have received terrorist
training. The government has never supported the establishment of a higher
educational institution for Muslims or given scholarships. If it did, Thai
Muslims would not have to study abroad.

Just recently, someone asked me why the invincible Mr Thaksin was so afraid
of Parliament. Senators asked for the privilege of hearing him explain his
policies in person, but he has never showed up. Indeed, why he avoids
Parliament remains anybody's guess.