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Published on July 13, 2007

The ongoing insurgency in the South has shattered the trust between the two communities.

In Narathiwat, police discovered the body of a man who had been shot dead and burnt under a bridge in Yi-ngor district. His identity has yet to be verified.

In Rangae district of the same province, a husband and wife were shot at close range early yesterday morning as they were travelling by motorbike to the local market. Pin Hiranphan, 66, and his wife, Boonthip, 62, both died in hospital.

Speaking to the media in Yala's Kuern Banglam, one of the most violence-prone areas in the Malay-speaking South, Surayud said: "There is a sense of mistrust and suspicion between Buddhists and Muslims in the area. They have to help one another to build up trust by working together."

More than 2,300 people, mostly local Muslims, have been killed since January 2004 in endless violence that the authorities blame on a new generation of Malay insurgents. The killings have shattered the fabric of society in the region where Malays, Chinese and Thais have historically coexisted peacefully.

Mistrust between local communities and state agencies is at an all-time low as Muslims accuse security officials of carrying out target killings and kidnappings, while Buddhists call for a step-up in security measures to curb the violence.

Surayud spent Wednesday night at a military base in Bannang Sata district in Yala province to boost morale among the public and security officials. His government has said it will continue with its reconciliatory approach, but his olive branch to the insurgents has yet to bear fruit.

The PM has rejected suggestions that an autonomous zone be set up, but has not ruled out the possibility of establishing an administrative model like Bangkok or Pattaya for the restive region.

Nidir Waba, a leading Muslim cleric who also serves as an adviser to the premier, said dialogue with separatist leaders was possible.

"Insurgents behind the violence are people who have been manipulated. It is essential that the authorities get to the bottom of this matter and get to the real culprits," he said.

The Nation

KUERN BANGLANG, YALA