Thailand to end martial law in some Muslim areas
Thailand says it will ease martial law imposed on some areas of the Muslim south after raiders stole weapons from an army camp in January.
Thousands of soldiers and police have been involved in a search for the stolen weapons.
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, says the easing of martial law, which allows detention without charge, will start in a couple of weeks.
He says it will be lifted initially in only a couple of the 10 or so districts in each of the three southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.
Muslim leaders in the region have complained that stringent night patrols disrupt work in a region heavily dependent on rubber tapping, for which workers leave early in the morning.
04/03/2004 14:47:21 | ABC Radio Australia News
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