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Thai martial law to continue

P. S. Suryanarayana

Bangkok may hold talks with Muslim rebels

SINGAPORE: Thailand's military ruler General Sonthi Boonyaratglin on Thursday ruled out any possibility of lifting martial law at this stage. Martial law was imposed for an unspecified period as soon as he seized power in a bloodless coup on September 19 by toppling the then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"I have to be in charge of security. If the martial law is lifted too soon, there could be problems," Gen. Sonthi said in Bangkok. Addressing the demand by the United States, Thailand's military ally, that the martial law be scrapped, he said the issue could be considered only after the consolidation of the interim civilian administration that was now being formed. No timeline was set for the interim government to settle down.

Surayud Chulanont, a former military leader, was appointed by the new Thai junta on October 1 as the interim civilian Prime Minister, who would announce his Cabinet in a few days from now.

Gen. Sonthi took over as Chairman of the newly-constituted Council for National Security (CNS) while appointing Mr. Surayud as interim Prime Minister for about a year.

On the continuing unrest in Thailand's southern provinces, beset with Muslim "insurgency" against the country's majority-Buddhist administration, Gen. Sonthi, himself a Muslim, said some rebel groups had established contact with the CNS to suggest parleys to end the crisis.

No timeline was set for the commencement of any such talks between Bangkok and the Muslim "rebels".

Candidate withdraws

On a different plane, Mr. Surayud said in Bangkok on Thursday that Surakiart Sathirathai, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand at the time of the latest coup, had now withdrawn from the race for the post of United Nations Secretary General. Shortly after the coup, Gen. Sonthi had said he would like Dr. Sathirathai to stay on in the field as the candidate of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

With South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon emerging as the clear favourite for the top U.N. post, Dr. Sathirathai's exit from the race has now become a mere formality.

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