Thailand Frees 1,100 Muslims

More than 1,100 Muslims detained after a riot were freed Saturday as the government tried to ease anger in Thailand’s restive south over the deaths of dozens of riot suspects -- including 78 who perished in military custody.

The army also lifted a curfew imposed in parts of Narathiwat, the province where thousands of Muslim youths besieged a police station Monday to demand the release of six men they believed were unjustly accused of giving arms to Islamic separatists.

The 78 suspects suffocated or were crushed when security forces piled them into military trucks along with more than 1,200 other Muslim detainees. At least seven others died during the riot, apparently shot by security forces.

In a nationally televised address Friday night, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised an independent investigation.

He acknowledged that the detainees who died had been stacked on top of one another, and said he regretted the deaths.

More than 400 people have died in violence in the three Muslim-majority southern provinces since January. Thailand is predominantly Buddhist.

In a bid to address growing anger over last week’s deaths, the military said it freed 1,178 people Saturday. It kept 113 in custody, including those thought to be the leaders of the riot, to be prosecuted.