Boonrawd also served as Surayud's chief of staff during the latter's term as Army chief.

The two retired generals climbed the military chain of command in the Army's Special Warfare Unit and are said to share the same outlook on how the violence in the restive region should be handled.

During his acceptance speech, new premier Surayud blamed historical injustice for the problems in the Malay-speaking region, a departure from the Thaksin administration's approach, which stressed law and order over reconciliation.

High on the list of priorities will be dialogue with exiled Malay separatist organisations, many of whom were members of nationalist organisations that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s to take up arms against the Thai state.

Several rounds of informal talks have been quietly held with these exiled leaders on Army chief and coup leader Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin's watch. But with the issue out in the open, and the admission that former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad helped to facilitate the meetings, dialogue is expected to gain momentum and possibly evolve into a forum where result-oriented debate about the future of the South can be carried out.

No one is sure how the exiled community will help end the ongoing violence, which authorities claim to be the work of a new generation of home-grown insurgents who are organised in small cells and show no interest in dialogue, negotiation or even taking credit for their actions.

The choice of who should head the Interior Ministry was not exactly a surprise considering that both Aree Wongsearaya and his newly appointed deputy, Banyat Jansena, the last director of the now defunct Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), are retired civil servants, not veteran politicians.

Both men have served in various high-profile positions during their time in the government but they might find themselves in over their heads in this powerful ministry, which has long been a political playground for powerful political bosses who know how to throw their weight around. Political heavyweights like Sanan Kachornprasart, Snoh Thienthong, Chalerm Yoobamrung and Vatana Asavahame have been there and left their marks.

But 12 months - the expected duration of the interim government - is not a very long time given the enormous tasks ahead of them.

The spotlight will be on the insurgency in the Malay-speaking South and the two men will be hard-pressed to come up with some results. But they probably won't have much time to do anything radically new. And since this is a military-backed government, the ministry will likely spend much of its time looking for ways to enhance co-ordination between the Interior officials and the security agencies in the restive region. A less confusing chain of command could emerge and inter-agency rivalries could be lessened as the division of labour becomes clearer.

Aree, a Muslim, was brought into the cabinet of the Thaksin administration to help out then education minister Chaturon Chaisang. But Aree entered quite late in the game, at a time when Thaksin was on his way down. He didn't leave any memorable impact during his short stint at the Education Ministry. Afterwards, he returned to his work at a foundation established by Privy Council President Gen Prem Tinsulanonda.

Don Pathan

The Nation