A Thai Muslim student group Wednesday Online Cigarettes Store USA called for police to drop an order requesting universities to provide "intelligence" on Muslim students and their activities in the Buddhist-majority state.
Muslims make up Thailand's second largest religious group, with the majority residing in its three southernmost states, which since 2004 have been in the grip of a conflict between Malay-Muslim separatist rebels and Thai authorities.
Rights groups have long accused the state of heavy-handed sweeps of the majority Malay-Muslim population in that region -- which Newport Cigarettes Shop is under martial law.
Last week the Special Branch Bureau issued a nationwide order to universities to provide "intelligence" on Muslim students and their activities in school, police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen told AFP Tuesday, citing "security" concerns.
The news sparked immediate outrage from the community, and the Muslim Students Federation of Thailand on Wednesday called Cheap Newport 100s cigarettes for parliament to "cancel" the request.
The Special Branch's order "is also a form of discrimination that breaches the constitution," president Ashraf Awae said, speaking outside parliament.
