Thai group firm on independence

Thai group firm on independence

THAILAND: A Muslim separatist group operating in Thailand's south has vowed to pursue its independence struggle despite three of its leaders being sentenced to life in prison, a report said on Thursday.

The Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) has been largely inactive since the arrests of three of its top leaders in 1998.

The group also reportedly said it "considers the Thai Constitution illegitimate in the area and its members are not under Thai jurisdiction", and that it "deserves the right to react accordingly".

On Wednesday, PULO cell leader Daoh Thanam, chairman Bueto Betong and operative Samaae Thannam were sentenced to life imprisonment for treason following a three-decade terror campaign in the south. --AFP