Thailand's rebellious Muslim south will almost certainly be designated an emergency zone today, giving Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister, power to monitor and control the local population, suppress information, curb public expression and make widespread arrests.

The move will place full responsibility for combating southern Thailand's Muslim separatist insurgency directly in the hands of the prime minister, a former policeman who has shown little hesitation in using tough measures against social threats such as the drugs trade.