E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1 Page 60 programmes had been gradually implemented to address social and human resources development and reflect the actual needs of the local people. 232. Emphasizing the importance of cooperation with countries friendly to Thailand in this regard, the Government underlined that it had been pursuing all possible means of restoring peace and stability for the benefit of the entire nation while strictly upholding its human rights commitments, including the right to freedom of religion and belief. 233. On 1 November 2004, the Special Rapporteur, jointly with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture, sent a communication to the Government of Thailand concerning the deaths of 87 persons following actions taken by Thai security forces on 25 October 2004 in Takbai, in the province of Narathiwat. According to the information received, on the morning of 25 October 2004, during a clash between 2,000 Muslim protesters and security forces in the Takbai district, nine people were killed by police officers. The protest occurred to demand the release of six detained Muslim security guards. Demonstrators allegedly threw stones at security forces and attempted to storm a police station. It was reported that police officers, after using water cannons and tear gas, fired among the protesters, killing six of them. Authorities claimed that protesters were armed and that orders were given to fire in the air but failed to be respected. It was further alleged that three other protesters died during these events. 234. The Special Rapporteurs had also received information concerning the death of 78 people in police custody. It was reported that 1,300 people were arrested following the above-mentioned protest and put into military trucks to be transferred to detention centres. Seventy-eight of those prisoners died, most of them of suffocation or dehydration during transportation that allegedly lasted five hours. 235. By letter dated 4 November 2004, the Government transmitted to the Special Rapporteurs preliminary information and clarifications. The Government first indicated that the unfortunate incident on 25 October 2004 was in no way deliberate. The Government viewed the deaths as most tragic and expressed regret that errors and misjudgement had been made. On 2 November 2004, the Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, appointed an independent commission to investigate the incident. The commission was asked to transmit the results of the investigation to the Prime Minister within 34 days. The commission was headed by Mr. Pichet Soontornpipit, Former Ombudsman, and comprised people of high standing and respect, with a number of Muslim academicians and also the President of the Central Committee of Thailand's Muslim community. 236. The Government stressed that the incident should be viewed in a broader context of the developments in the southern provinces of Thailand since January 2004. As of 21 October 2004, over 264 persons, both Muslim and Buddhist, had died, while 397 people had been injured. The Government had exercised relentless efforts to restore peace and order to the provinces. The Government was unwaveringly committed to continue resolving the situation in a peaceful manner, while steadfastly adhering to the principle of human rights as enshrined in the Constitution and in accordance with its international obligations. The Government