Residents of the deep South yesterday welcomed the ad-hoc special development zone proposed by the government, but cautioned it would benefit only businesses in particular areas rather than the poor communities really suffering from the unrest in the region.

They suggested people's participation in the development zone through civic groups from the predominantly Muslim region.

"There are many things in the deep South which need to be developed, such as land, natural resource management and human resources," said Worawit Baru, deputy rector of the Prince of Songkhla University's Pattani campus.

"Tax and interest incentives might be good for business, but they are not enough to tackle the whole problem."

Worawit, who was a member of the now-disbanded National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) set up to propose solutions to the southern unrest, suggested that the government form a committee with intensive local participation to run the development zone, rather than rely mainly on businessmen and bureaucrats.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont announced the development zone as a measure to restore peace in the deep South after a special Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The plan is to integrate resources held by various agencies to create jobs and raise the living standards of locals. Development in the zone is supposed to include social and cultural areas as well, but the government has highlighted the economic aspect.

A development zone offering tax and interest incentives to investors was in fact suggested by chambers of commerce in the region to boost investment confidence after a recession brought on by the ongoing violence.

Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said the government would announce tax incentives for investment in the five southernmost provinces of Songkhla, Satun, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat on January 1.

He said the Bank of Thailand had already announced lower interest rates for businesses in the Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat that had satisfied business communities there.

Sirichai Piticharoen, chairman of the Pattani Chamber of Commerce, said it was good that the government was initiating measures for the economic development of the region, but it needed to consider how the plan would benefit business in real terms.

Worawit said that across-the-board tax incentives for all five southernmost provinces was unfair as capital and investment would prefer to go to the relatively peaceful province of Songkhla, not the hot spots of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

Incentives should only be given in Songkhla's four violence-hit districts, otherwise investors would take advantage of its business hub of Hat Yai and nobody would invest in the violence-prone provinces, he said.

Peace academic Ahmed Somboon Bualuang said the government should also consider changing the governance of the development zone to empower locals to manage their own resources and budget. "The current administration by the Interior Ministry does not work. The special development zone needs special administrative authority as well," Somboon said.

Somboon, also a former member of the NRC, suggested that the government take care of migrant workers in the deep South who sought jobs in Malaysia. As part of the development scheme, the government should have a pact with Malaysia to legalise Thai-Muslim workers, he said.

He estimated there were some 200,000-300,000 Thai Muslims working in Malaysia, including those working at the thousands of tom yum kung stalls.

The government should look at these people positively as working for the benefit of the southern economy and not as a security threat, Somboon said.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation