Thais tackle insurgents in Muslim provinces

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has imposed emergency rule in three Muslim-dominated provinces bordering Malaysia.

Authorities can now detain suspects without charge, deport foreigners on suspicion of being terrorists, and tap telephones, as they tackle a 19-month insurgency that has killed more than 900 people in Thailand's only region where Muslims outnumber Buddhists.

Critics fear that civil liberties will be compromised, and that such harsh measures will alienate moderates caught in the conflict.