Four police officers were wounded yesterday morning by a roadside bomb in the first attack in the troubled South since a military coup ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday.

The four officers were part of security details assigned to the Malay-speaking border provinces, where fighting between security forces and militant groups has claimed more than 1,700 lives since the end of 2003.

The explosion occurred at 11:30am near a bus shelter in Pattani, where police were posted to guard a route to be used by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the afternoon.

A Muslim leader called on the local population to unite behind the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy and turn a new page in this violent chapter that has pitted the region against the state.

Nimu Makaje, deputy chair of the Yala Islamic Committee, said the putsch could be a blessing in disguise as it could mark the starting point for Malay militants and the Thai state to reconcile their differences.

Nimu urged all separatist groups that are involved in the insurgency or have laid down their arms to come forward and work with the state in order to bring peace to the restless land.

Nimu's statement echoed earlier calls from the leaders of one of the main exiled separatist movements, the Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), who voiced their support for the coup and talks between the government and themselves.

Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the head of the junta that plotted the coup, has suggested that the state try to mend fences with the militants, although he did not single out any organisation.

Meanwhile, Police have arrested two suspects over last week's bombings in Hat Yai and aim to arrest five more, Provincial Police Region 9 chief LtGeneral Adul Saengsingkaew said yesterday.

Six bombs exploded within less than an hour starting at about 9pm on September 16 in central Hat Yai, killing four and injuring more than 70 people.

Adul said the two arrested suspects were from the southernmost provinces but declined to disclose their names.

Investigators at the operations centre in Yala were now gathering evidence about five more suspects, he added.

He said he was confident police would be able to arrest all the suspects because the implementation of emergency law throughout the country allowed the investigating team to work more effectively to bring culprits to justice.

Meanwhile, a cremation ceremony for 30yearold Canadian teacher Jesse Lee Daniel - the first Westerner to die in the protracted deep South insurgency - was held yesterday at Wat Khok Samankhun. His students and colleagues were among the mourners.

Daniel lived with his aunt in Canada before landing a job teaching English at Phol Wittaya School in Hat Yai in April.

His relatives were today taking his ashes back to Canada.