Thai authorities impose tough screening on Cambodian Muslim travelers
- From: "Chim" <ChimS1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 28 Nov 2005 07:33:33 -0800
Thai authorities impose tough screening on Cambodian Muslim travelers
By KER MUNTHIT, AP
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Thai border officials have intensified
screening of Cambodian Muslims seeking to enter the country as a
consequence of violent unrest in Thailand's predominantly Muslim
southernmost provinces, a Cambodian provincial official said Monday.
Thai border guards held some 92 Cambodian Muslims for questioning for
several hours on Saturday before letting them carry on with their
journey, said Doung Sophannareth, vice chief of the provincial Cabinet
office for the northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey.
Most said they were traveling through Thailand to seek employment in
Malaysia, he said, adding that 10 of them said they were going to visit
friends in southern Thailand.
Another group of 14 Cambodian Muslims traveled to Malaysia via Thailand
on Monday and about 40 others were waiting to cross the border at
Cambodia's western border town of Poipet, he said.
"The unrest in the southern Thailand has prompted Thai authorities to
strictly question Cambodian Muslims" about the purpose of their trip
through Thailand, he said.
An Islamic separatist insurgency has buffeted Thailand's three
southernmost Muslim-dominated provinces of Pattani, Yala and
Narathiwat, resulting in more than 1,100 deaths since early 2004.
Thailand - like Cambodia - is a predominantly Buddhist country and
southern Muslims have long complained of being treated as second-class
citizens.
Muslims make up an estimated 3 percent of Cambodia's 13.6 million
population. Most Cambodian Muslims are members of the Cham ethnic
minority.
Thailand's Interior Minister Kongsak Wanthana ordered stepped-up
surveillance of the country's border with Cambodia amid fears of
weapons smuggling to insurgents in the south, the state Thai News
Agency reported.
The minister also warned Cambodian Muslims against attempting to get
involved in the insurgency, said the Sunday report.
The Cambodian government had said in the past that local Muslims have
no active links to militant groups.
Although Cambodia has not been directly linked with terrorist groups
such as al-Qaida or Jemaah Islamiyah, security analysts have expressed
concern that the country's weak border controls and poor law
enforcement could make it a haven for militants seeking a hiding place.
11/28/05 09:05 EST
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. The information contained in the
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