THAILAND faced furious protests from Islamic countries and organisations yesterday as horrific details emerged of the deaths of 78 Muslims in military custody on Monday.

A Muslim separatist group in the south of the country vowed to take revenge on Bangkok with “fire and oil” after Thaksin Shinawatra, the Thai Prime Minister, promised an inquiry but failed to apologise for the excruciatingly painful way in which anti-government demonstrators died at the hands of Thai authorities.

Six people were killed on Monday during clashes with security forces in the southern Narathiwat province apparently sparked by the arrests of six Muslims suspected of stealing weapons. More than 1,300 other demonstrators were summarily arrested and transported in army trucks to a barracks further north in Pattani.

Before being loaded five deep into the vehicles, the demonstrators had their shirts torn from their backs and were made to lie down in the scorching heat for several hours.

Khunying Pornthip Rojanasunant, deputy director of Thailand’s Forensic Science Institute, said the 78 victims died from a mixture of suffocation and heat stroke during five hours in the trucks. But bones also appeared to have been broken as the demonstrators were forced into the vehicles. Two or three of the victims were said to have suffered broken necks.

Mr Thaksin, who recently tried to acquire Liverpool and Fulham Football Clubs, said: “There were some mistakes. The army did not have enough trucks to transport them so they had to pile them up on top of each other and they died. We are sorry they met an untimely death.”

The day before he had blamed the deaths on religious fasting during Ramadan. “They just collapsed because they were in a weak physical condition. Anti-riot forces did not touch them. They did not kill any protesters,” he insisted.

Some were “repeat offenders who had instigated many protests in the past,” he added, while others were under the influence of drugs. “If we’re soft, they’ll think we are caving in. I won’t have it.”

The Prime Minister was condemned inside and outside Thailand. Bangkok’s Nation newspaper stated: “Thaksin may not have been directly responsible for them being crammed into military trucks like pigs headed for slaughterhouses, but the troops’ demonstration of hatred and disregard for humanitarianism simply reflected how the country is being governed. How the Government handled the aftermath is equally scandalous. No words of apology. No explanation from top government officials.”

Pictures of the victims were shown on the website of al-Jazeera, the Arabic satellite television station, and threatened to inflame Islamic sentiment around the world. Al-Jazeera quoted a spokesman for Thailand’s southern separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation promising vengeance. “We pledge before Allah that from now on the infidel will suffer sleepless nights. Their capital will be burned down. The property they have robbed from us will be totally destroyed and their lives will face the consequences of the sins they have committed.”

Thailand’s stock market fell by 3 per cent over fear of retaliation. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of neighbouring Malaysia, warned Mr Thaksin that “in the month of Ramadan incidents of this nature can bring a lot of unhappiness and create anger”.

Iran called the killings unacceptable. Washington joined the calls for a full investigation. The Thai authorities were “responsible for the humane treatment of prisoners,” a State Department spokesman said.

Four per cent of Thailand’s 63 million people are Muslim.

THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Times Charity Appeal: SolarAid
• Is it Black Monday all over again for Dubai?
• Behind the scenes at the biggest deal