Her Majesty the Queen yesterday urged the entire Kingdom to condemn the violence and brutality in the restive south and act against it.

"We cannot sit still anymore. It is not right [to allow the violence]. We should condemn it to show our dissatisfaction at such actions," she said.

HM the Queen was addressing a group of people who had been granted a royal audience to establish a charity fund for the Queen Sirikit Foundation at the Grand Palace.

"I think Thai people all over the country should express their views and opinions that it is absolutely wrong to kill other people, notably the elderly and women who cannot protect themselves," she said.

HM the Queen urged people, especially in Bangkok, to take action against the violence which has killed around 2,000 people since the beginning of 2004. It was Her Majesty's first plea this year amid no signs of an end to the violence.

"We should do something, like the gathering of people with me today. We should express our views via radio, television or letters to tell the militants to stop, otherwise they could turn our country into an uncivilised society in which they can kill anybody, anytime," she said. "We have to stop the violence now, it's enough," she said.

HM the Queen expressed her sympathies over the death of many teachers who have been victims of the violence, including Kobkul Runsaewa, the director of Ban Tua Ko School in Narathiwat's Chanae district, who was gunned down, and Juling Pongkanmoon, who was beaten into coma, and died last month.

"Teacher Juling was only 27 years old," the Queen said. "She was beaten brutally into a coma. She loved the country and went down there to help people. She never sat still even at the age of only 27. Or look at teacher Prasarn Nakchu, he was shot dead while teaching," she said.

"I know there are many bad people everywhere but it is our duty not to allow them to do such bad things. They can kill people and officials cannot bring them down? That's not the right thing and not honourable for our nation," she said.