Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Thai prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra not to rely entirely on security forces when dealing with the escalating violence in Southern Thailand.

He called on the premier not to forget that the problems affecting the Muslims in Southern Thailand are caused by weak economic power.

"We hope the premier will deal with the matter fairly and not rely entirely on the authorities.

"I still hold on to the promise by him (Thaksin) that the problems faced by the Patani Muslims are related to their poverty and their exclusion from development," he said in a statement from Arab Saudi today.

Anwar also said he is unable to accept the explanation of the Thai authorities on how the deaths occurred.

"It's very hard for us to accept the reasons given by the Thai authorities on why those demonstrators died.

"We are saddened with what had happened in Tak Bai, Patani. My deepest condolences to the victims' families," he added.

On Wednesday, Thai authorities confirmed that 84 Thai Muslims died mainly from suffocation in the back of packed security force trucks after police and troops broke up a violent demonstration in Tok Bai.

On Monday, six people were confirmed dead in the clashes between the protestors and security personnel.

Army responsible

Meanwhile, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) said the Thai military must bear for the 84 deaths.

"It is shocking that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the beginning praised the firmness of the military and blamed the deaths on the weakness of the dead owing to fasting, although he later retracted and apologised for his uncalled for remarks," said PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali in a statement.

Syed Husin said that he was informed that the demonstrators had made efforts to negotiate with the police before the tragedy took place.

"But soon after (the attempts to negotiate was made), the commander who was responsible for storming the Krisek mosque and killing innocent people there a few month ago, and who was supposed to have been suspended, was called in to handle the situation. That was when the 'firmness of the military' began," he said.

Syed Husin also noted that the Thai central government and army have become more repressive in Southern Thailand under Thaksin.

"This does not augur well for peace and democracy in Thailand, which may have adverse effects on the Asean region as a whole," he warned.