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Southeast Asia
Four killed as Thai Muslims celebrate Eid
2007-10-13
Suspected Islamic terrorists rebels killed four people and wounded two others as celebrations for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr got underway in southern Thailand, police said Saturday.

Three Muslims were killed late Friday after terrorists militants targeted their car in Yala, one of the jihad insurgency plagued provinces bordering Malaysia, police said. A 50-year-old Muslim man was seriously injured in the same attack, they added. In nearby Narathiwat province, a 47-year-old Buddhist man was gunned down in a drive-by shooting, while his 50-year-old brother was seriously injured, they added.

Thailand's top security official, coup leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin, announced Friday that the government plans to extend emergency rule in the region for another three months. The decree -- up for formal renewal on October 19 -- gives security forces sweeping powers of search and seizure and broad immunity from prosecution. Suspects can be detained for up to 30 days without charge. Rights groups say emergency rule has created a climate of impunity in the region, which has also been under martial law since Sonthi led a coup last year.

"The degree of violence in the attacks has decreased while the frequency of attacks has also lessened," army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Saturday in a weekly television interview. "However, the jihad insurgency will last years longer," he added.
Posted by:ryuge

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