Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said yesterday the new centre would commence operations early next month. It was waiting only for agreement on details from the Defence, Interior and Justice ministries.

Retired academic and community leader Ahmed Somboon Bualuang - also a former member of the defunct National Reconcilia-tion Commission - was worried Interior may be given too much responsibility in running the centre at the expense of Justice and the Education Ministry.

"Perhaps it's better to have a new SBPAC headed by somebody from the Prime Minister's Office who can coordinate with all ministries," Somboon suggested.

"It doesn't have to be a political appointment but it should be somebody that can command respect from other agencies - like the Army, police and other ministries."

Assoc Prof Srisompob Jitpirom-sri of the Prince of Songkhla Univer-sity at Pattani concurred. He welcomed the inclusion of Justice in the centre's makeup.

Srisompob said the recent past had seen the military assuming leadership in the South - from traditional security to civil affairs. Handing responsibility to civilians was good in principle, but it would be difficult for a revived SBPAC to enjoy the same kind of trust it once had, he said.

The original SBPAC was dissolved by the Thaksin government in mid-2001. While it served a purpose before that of providing a vehicle for local communities to engage the state, the root cause of problems in the region continued to linger, the two academics

said.

"We have to talk about poverty, lack of social mobility for local people and unemployment," Srisompob said.

"We might have to consider coming up with some sort of affirmative-action programme that spells out in real terms where the local people will be in the future," he added.

On the security front, Srisompob said the military needed to revise a counter-insurgency doctrine that drew from lessons learned in a region where as many as 1,700 people have been killed since January 2004.

The welfare and protection of people had to be the foundation of any new strategy, they said.

"That must go beyond the rules of engagement. It has to address how peace can be maintained," Srisompob added.

This week saw the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In spite of a week of intense violence in which nearly 30 people lost their lives, Thailand's Muslim-dominated South has been in a festive mood since Monday evening when the new moon was sighted.

Fresh violence yesterday saw a villager shot dead on his way to prayers at a Yala mosque.

Dison Munsoo, 36, was found shot four times near the Raman district mosque. Police said two motorcycle gunmen were seen speeding from the attack.

Police believed them to be Muslim militants but could not rule out a private dispute.

Don Pathan

The Nation

PATTANI