Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has admitted that a prominent Muslim lawyer defending suspected Islamic militants was kidnapped by policemen. For weeks the government had denied accusations from rights groups that the police had anything to do with the activist lawyer's disappearance.
Somchai Neelahphaijit disappeared in Bangkok on March 12th. His abandoned car was later found in a nearby province, and he has not been seen since. Rights groups believe Mr. Somchai was kidnapped to silence his allegations that security forces have used heavy-handed tactics to quash recent violence in the country's predominately-Muslim southern provinces.
More than 60 people have been killed in the violence in southern Thailand that began with the January raid. The government blames Muslim separatists, but many analysts believe the violence also stems from a mixture of corrupt politicians, ordinary criminals and rivalry between the police and military.