AP News, December 19th, 2006
The powerful army commander who led a coup in September said Tuesday that martial law needs to be maintained in certain parts of Thailand, citing recent arson attacks targeting schools in the country's north and northeast.
Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin said "ill-intended people" are behind the attacks on a dozen schools in the region, a stronghold of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Some authorities have speculated that his supporters were behind the attacks.
"Whether or not the attacks will be growing, we are looking into measures to prevent them," Sondhi told a news conference called to assess the situation in Thailand three months after the Sept. 19 coup.
Martial law was imposed nationwide after the coup, but it was lifted in November in 41 of the country's 76 provinces, including the capital, Bangkok.
Sondhi gave no indication of when martial law would be lifted in the remaining 35 provinces.
"If we lifted martial law, it would make it more difficult for officials to carry out their duty and give advantages to violent instigators," he said.
Martial law lets the military be in charge of security and make arrests without warrants in the name of maintaining order.
Observers have said coup leaders were using martial law to keep Thaksin out of the country and monitor his supporters.
Sondhi reiterated Tuesday that the coup leaders "have no intention to hold on to power."
Following the coup, an interim government was installed that is to remain in power until elections scheduled for October 2007.
Thaksin was ousted after months of protests. He was accused of widespread corruption, abuse of power and disrespect toward the country's much-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
