Police said the suspect rode pillion on a motorbike that pulled up out the front of the teashop. He got off, walked towards the shop and opened fire.

Meanwhile, in Khok Po district, a unit providing security for local teachers had a lucky escape from death and injury after insurgents set off a roadside bomb as they were passing.

In Yala's Tambon Lidon, insurgents set fire to a pickup truck belonging to the local Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) and torched a home in nearby Tambon Pohseng. Police said no injuries were reported.

In Songkhla's Sadao district, arsonists set fire to an outdoor market in Tambon Pangla at about 2am yesterday. Some 20 fire trucks rushed to the area to contain the damage, which was estimated at about Bt32 million. It was the fifth arson attack on the market in the past three months.

Authorities said they were uncertain if the incident was the work of Malay separatists. But they were also looking into other leads, including disputes among influential groups in the area.

In Tambon Huaypling in Thepa district, gunmen shot dead a former TAO official while he rode his motorbike near his home.

Meanwhile, in Surat Thani, commissioner of the Police Eight Region, Pol Lt-General Thani Thawidsri said authorities had detained eight men from the deep South who were in a pickup truck with bullet holes. The suspects have been turned over to the Fourth Army for further questioning, he said.

Speaking to gathering of academic, government and community leaders, the grand imam of Al Azhar, Dr Muhammad Sayid Tantawy, called on all sides to reconcile their differences and work for peace in the deep South.

In Bangkok, Human Secu-rity and Development Deputy Minister Dr Poldej Pinpratheep said a vital topic at present was talks with the insurgents. He said no single agency should have a monopoly on negotiations - if and when they get are able to start.

He said all sectors of society must share a common understanding on what the problems in the Muslim-majority region were before developing a

common strategy towards solutions.

His statement was the latest in a series made by political figures, including Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who said the identity of the militants' leaders was still a mystery.

The Nation

Pattani