The apology offered by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont was a good start towards reconciliation but the apology alone could not fix all problems, said Anand, who was chairman of the now defunct National Reconciliation Commission (NRC).

Two important principles for reconciliation were truth and forgiveness but the truth had yet to be revealed on all incidents that have taken place in the deep South, he said, and added that the previous government's mistakes and misunderstandings might cause more incidents.

"Now we have the official apology, hopefully the next step is forgiveness," Anand told reporters.

Authorities are still struggling to contain a spate of violence that has rocked the deep South since the beginning of 2004 and claimed more than 1,700 lives so far.

Anand blamed tough measures and illegal actions - such as abductions and evidence fabricated to support arrests of suspects - used by Thaksin Shinawatra's government for spurring violence in the region.

The NRC had proposed a comprehensive plan to contain violence in the predominantly Muslim region with peaceful methods and reconciliation measures. The previous government appeared unlikely to implement the NRC plan's "radical" proposals.

The interim government has promised to use some of the NRC recommendations to contain the crisis.

The peaceful measures might not be a quick-fix solution to end the violence, Anand said, as some militant minorities had maintained their violent struggle against the government.

"But the problem is how to prevent a majority of sympathisers from giving support to them, and to create cooperation with the government," he said.