"It's the old issue, but we're using a new method to resolve it," said General Saprang Kalayanamitr, a key figure in the Council for National Security (CNS), on the unrelenting violence in southern Thailand.

The assistant Army chief, who is a trusted colleague of General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the September 19 coup leader, told The Nation in an interview that the Thai public should not expect a quick resolution to the situation because things worsened considerably during the years of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

"Historically, the southern situation has become worse whenever we're weak. During the Thaksin years we were especially careless in terms of policy formulation and direction. We grossly underestimated the situation. As a result, the problem became much worse."

"Our misguided policy opened up opportunities for insurgents to build and widen their local support. They've managed to score more and more points during those years.

"If we used a 15-round boxing match as an analogy, I guess we were knocked down and the referee's count was at four or five out of 10 in round three when Thaksin was premier, even though we were fine in rounds one and two. Fortunately, we can still get back on our feet to continue fighting after the referee's count. Round three ended when the Army staged the coup and overthrew the Thaksin regime. We were saved by the bell. "Now it's round four and I believe the Surayud government's policy on southern Thailand is on the right track. We've corrected the strategic mistakes. Now, we're working on the tactical part of a new method to resolve the issue," he said.

According to Saprang, previously there were mismatches in manpower and budget allocations for the violence-prone southern provinces.

"Those provinces are a special area in terms of national security. It was a mistake to have disregarded such a situation by pulling out the soldiers a few years ago and then leaving the security issue in the hands of police and local volunteers. Now, the soldiers are back but the lead-time for a successful resolution won't be short, as we're unprepared to deal with those insurgents. Yet, I'm optimistic, and believe that people who have been lured into the insurgents' camp will soon leave those groups and cooperate with the authorities.

"All Thais should now give sustained moral support to all the soldiers and policemen currently risking their lives working in the South. We should pray for them. Once there's a convergence of military and political outcomes to resolve violence in the southern provinces, there will be sustained success," said the general.

Nophakhun  Limsamarnphun

The Nation