World

　　Thailand poured troops into its Muslim-dominated south to guard against retaliatory attacks yesterday as grieving families buried their dead after the army and police killed more than 100 suspected Islamic militants.

　　Human rights groups and Muslim preachers condemned Wednesday's killings, and accused security personnel of responding with excessive force to attacks by poorly armed mobs. Others warned that a cycle of separatist violence would only escalate.

　　"It is the beginning of the people's war," prominent cleric Vithaya Visetrat told The Associated Press.

　　The United States and neighboring Malaysia expressed concern.

　　The death toll from Wednesday's fighting rose to 113 after a suspected Islamic fighter died of his wounds, bringing to 108 the number of militants killed, officials said. Three police officers and two soldiers died.

　　Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has defended the actions of the security forces and two senior cabinet ministers played down reports that the militant mobs were armed only with machetes, saying several fired automatic weapons as they led the others into battle.

　　Defense Minister Chettha Thanajaro said militants who survived bloody clashes could be "waiting for the right time for revenge" and might launch "second and third waves" of attacks.

　　The minister sent two additional battalions to Thailand's southern provinces. However, facing accusations of brutality, the government took away the command of a top general who used rocket-propelled grenades to attack a mosque, killing 32 people - some of them allegedly unarmed civilians.

　　"Killing people in a holy place - in a mosque, in a monastery or in a church - is unacceptable. And I do believe that several innocent worshipers were among the dead," preacher Vithaya said.

　　Frightened and angry residents of the region said some innocent civilians were caught up in the mayhem when security forces opened fire on militants when they raided police and army posts in a bid to steal weapons.

　　(The Associated Press)