Somchai visits deep South

Independent academic and former member of National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), Ahmed Somboon Bualuang, urged Somchai to draw from his long years as civil servants at the Justice Ministry and apply his knowledge to the Malayspeaking region where faith in the government has been at one of its lowest point.

"I have come across him during my time at the NRC. I know he is a capable man," Somboon said.

Other academics, such as Associated Professor Srisompob Jitpiromsri of the Prince of Songkhla University in Pattani, has recently called on the government to seriously considered structural reform as an option to address the ongoing insurgency in the three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

A leading cleric in Yala, Nimu Makajae, said concerns over personal safety remain high on the list of concern for the local communities and urged the government to do more to address the problem.

Nimu said the government has yet to become the source of comfort for the local community and this explained why many have refused to turn to the government agencies in time of trouble.

Nimu also criticised the number of government development projects, saying these initiatives have become a source of frictions between government agencies with long history of competing against one another.

"There is a serious lack of unity on this front," Nimu said.

President of the Young Muslim Association of Thailand (Ymat), Nimanasae Samaali, said the current administration doesn't seems to be eager to address the problem in the deep South,

He said Somchai, a former civil servant at the foreign ministry, is well aware of the need to restore faith in the country's justice system.

Somchai's visit, his first as the country's prime minister, came amid allegation of abduction, extrajudicial killing and target killings at the hand of government's death squad.

A number of these incidents, including the death of detained suspects at the hands of military officers, have caught national and international attention over the recent months. Human rights groups often criticised the government and the military of allowing a culture of impunity in the restive region.

Speaking to reporters before his departure from Bangkok, Somchai suggested that any major changes will have to be consulted with other security agencies assigned to the restive region.