Bangkok - A judicial inquiry into the slaying and alleged torture by authorities of a Muslim religious leader in southern Thailand is being blocked by army stonewalling, said the New York-based Human Rights Watch on Friday.
Although the Thai army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, has pledged a full investigation, local officers have effectively refused to cooperate with a court inquest, said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "No soldier has ever been prosecuted for abducting, torturing, or extrajudicially killing Muslims in the south. Because the evidence is so strong, this should be an easy case for the army to show it's serious about addressing impunity," said Adams in a statement. Yapa Koseng, a