He will also give a special lecture at Prince of Songkhla University's Pattani Campus.

It will be Surayud's second visit to the troubled region. The first trip came last week when he met local religious leaders and apologised for the government's mistakes in dealing with the conflict and violent incidents during the past two years.

Surayud has made it clear that resolving the problem in the deep south is one of his interim government's priorities.

Surayud's visit came amid a new wave of arson attacks in the three southernmost provinces over the weekend that claimed at least six people's lives and left four schools torched.

Thirty-five schools remain closed across Yala province, and a further 14 were shut yesterday after the fresh violence.

Meanwhile, violence continued to rock the Muslim-majority south yesterday as three people were killed and another school set ablaze.

A school food vendor, Ma-useng Damuso, 42, was found dead in Joh I Rong. Police said Ma-useng was shot at by two gunmen while he was riding his three-seat motorbike to work in Samphan Withaya School in the Joh I Rong district of Narathiwat.

In the same province, a school janitor, Malaseng Chesoh, 36, was shot dead while driving his car to work at Ban Lueboh Deeyae in Rangae district. Police found Malaseng's body riddled with AK-47 bullets. School director Thanoo Nawawiwat ordered the closure of the school until further notice.

In Joh I Rong, a 5kg home-made bomb hidden inside a motorbike was detonated at Ban I Satia railway station. Police said the target was a nearby military camp but no one was injured.

In Pattani, a Ban Khao Wang schoolteacher, Prab Saengdara, 48, was shot dead while riding his motorbike back home in Mayo district.

Separately, a steamroller from the Pattani Construction company, along with a public phone booth in Bannang Sata district of Yala, were set ablaze yesterday morning.

Late on Monday in Yala, suspected Muslim insurgents set fire to Ban Tabingteengee school, local police said, burning the canteen to the ground.

Although the violence shows no sign of abating despite his recent apology, Surayud yesterday said he was aware that the situation in the deep south will not improve in a matter of days.