Security authorities have begun taking down roadside banners showing pictures of suspects wanted for insurgency-related crimes, after complaints were made over human rights violations, according to the Internal Security Operations Command's (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command.
Col Watcharakorn Onngern, deputy spokesman of the Isoc Region 4 Forward Command, said the removal of the banners was ordered by the region's commander Lt Gen Kriangkrai Srirak last Monday.
Col Watcharakorn said the order is being carried out by police units in the areas of the far South where the banners were erected.
The banners bear the images of suspects charged with security offences. However, many of the cases have since been dismissed and some of the suspects are already dead.
In addition, the act parading the faces of the suspects yet to be convicted is in itself an infringement of human rights, according to complaints submitted earlier by local residents to Adilan Aliis-hoh, the ruling Palang Pracharath Party MP for Yala.
Col Watcharakorn said Isoc had acted on the issue by putting the banner removal order into effect in Yala and thanked the MP for listening to his community.
The deputy spokesman added the posters had also upset the families of the suspects.
All suspects' statuses will be updated and the original posters removed and in the future, only suspects charged with major security will have their pictures used in posters to help secure their detention, Lt Gen Kriangkrai said.
The content of the posters will also be thoroughly reviewed to make sure only concise and relevant details are included.
Anyone who comes across the banners which they find to be problematic should contact Isoc Region 4 Forward Command via its 1341 hotline, according to Col Watcharakorn.