Plan to disclose names of 'terrorist' list could jeopardise peace talks, experts warn

“The Anti-Money Laundering Office [AMLO] has to be careful and make sure that the measure is in line with the government’s policy on peace-building. If it names some people in relation to supporting terrorism, political problems might follow,” Srisompob Jitpiromsri, director of Prince of Songkla University’s Deep South Watch, said yesterday. 

“Moreover, if they are just suspects and their names are published [independently of] an investigation or any legal action, that would violate their rights, as it would be defamatory,” Srisompob said.

Srisompob said AMLO might only look into the financial aspects, an approach that could lack the sensitivity needed when it comes to issues of national security. Therefore, it should work closely with security agencies, the Deep South Watch director said.

The blacklist, which would be endorsed by the Civil Court, contains the names of people in three groups: people of various nationalities named in a United Nations-approved list; Thai people blacklisted by authorities in foreign countries; and about 4,000 Thais found to have provided financial or logistical support to the insurgency in the deep South.

The list containing foreigners’ names would be made public on April 22 after endorsement by the Justice Ministry. The element containing the names of Thais would be received by the Office of the Attorney-General by April 19 for finalisation. This list would be endorsed by the Civil Court at a later date before being made public.

Chulalongkorn University security expert Panitan Wattanayagorn said the agency must clearly prove that the people named in the lists were actually involved in terrorism. “Incidents in the three southernmost provinces include both normal crimes and politically motivated crimes,” he said.

Such a court-ordered blacklist would need to be verified thoroughly and substantiated by scientifically based evidence, because the release of the names could violate human rights, he added.

Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said on Wednesday that AMLO was preparing to ask the Civil Court to consider publishing the name list of “terrorists” in the South of Thailand.

AMLO secretary-general Seehanat Prayoonrat said a team from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) would visit Thailand next month to see how the blacklist and other laws related to suppression of terrorism were being implemented and enforced. The FATF has put Thailand on a watch-list as a haven for financial support for terrorists.

Meanwhile, a key Justice Ministry policy to transfer inmates convicted of security-related charges to prisons in the deep South will be implemented soon, deputy permanent secretary Charnchao Chainukij said yesterday. The goal of the policy is to win over the convicts’ relatives and local Muslims sympathetic to the insurgency in order to help facilitate the peace dialogue.

A number of changes in Corrections Department regulations have been made to accommodate the transfers, as those convicted of security-related charges or serving lengthy prison terms have until now been imprisoned at high-security facilities in Bangkok and other sites outside the South.

Asked about the proposed revocation of arrest warrants issued for insurgents and their supporters, Charnchao said it was too early to discuss such a sensitive issue, which he said would affect the entire justice system. He said a thorough case-filtering process would be needed to decide who should and should not benefit from revocation of arrest warrants on a case-by-case basis.

In a related development, security officials found home-made explosives, plastic water pipes and other devices after a series of raids in Narathiwat. They said the materials seized were likely prepared for use in improvised bombs to be detonated during the Songkran holiday break. The raids originally targeted Masukaruenor Yakumor, a suspect in a recent bombing that killed a highly decorated police officer.