The coup in Thailand
Thailand's interim prime minister publicly apologized Thursday for the former government's hard-line policies against an Islamic insurgency, promising an investigation into allegations of human rights abuses by the administration deposed in a recent coup.
In an unexpected initiative, Chulanont Surayud also said he would urge the limited use of Islamic law in Thailand's Muslim-majority south to settle some disputes, especially over inheritance and family affairs, he said.
Surayud was accompanied by army chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, a practicing Muslim who led the Sept. 19 coup. Previous governments have shown little acceptance of Muslim culture.
The southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only ones with Muslim majorities in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. An insurgency in the three provinces has claimed more than 1,800 lives since January 2004.