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| Southeast Asia |
| Thai army to open jail for Muslim women |
| 2007-03-28 |
| The Fourth Army will open a prison for Muslim women because quite a few of them have been recruited into an insurgent network dedicated to violence and protest against the government. Fourth Army commander Lt-Gen Viroj Buacharoon said women have planted bombs, transported firearms and rallied against the government. A prison would be designated for Muslim women suspected of involvement in the unrest. The prison would be in the compound of the police forward command in Yala and would be staffed by female rangers and female police. Female security officers are assigned to arrest Muslim women. A source said Permuda, an insurgent male youth organisation, and the Permudi women's insurgent group have increased their membership and now have a combined 5,000 members in the deep South. The authorities also plan to ask female Muslim suspects to remove full-length veils which cover their faces except for the eyes. In many protests, it was found that male militants had donned veils and a long dress and mingled with women to escape police action, because male authorities are barred from touching Muslim women. Lt-Gen Viroj said if soldiers find female protesters wearing such veils they will ask that they remove them, so they are left with only headscarves. ''Removing the veil will be done in private, in the presence of female officers,'' the commander said. Lt-Gen Viroj said people joining rallies would be asked to show their ID cards. Authorities would take photos of protesters and put barricades around them to avoid possible clashes with officers. National Legislative Assembly member Angkhana Neelaphaijit, a Muslim, agreed that a prison for women would be an assurance that suspects would be treated gently. The removal of veils must be done with the wearer's consent. Provincial Police Region 9 is to address the shortage of policemen in the deep South by accepting non-commissioned soldiers. About 1,400 soldiers are expected to be transferred each year. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 Why jail? Just let them go while spreading rumors that they've been raped. Their relatives will take care of the rest. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-03-28 06:19 |