Mosque culprits 'will be found' : PM

Speaking at a seminar to commemorate the first graduating class of peace and conflict studies at the King Prajadhipok Institute (KPI), Abhisit said the government would do its utmost to bring the culprits to justice.

About six gunmen shot dead ten Muslims as they were praying inside the Al Furquan mosque in Narathiwat on June 8.

Abhisit said, based on information at hand, there was no evidence to suggest government officials were suspects in the massacre. But if it was established any officials were involved, he would not hesitate to arrest them.

 He said his administration respected cultural differences and had not in any way aimed to force the Malay Muslims in the deep South to change their identity or compromise their way of life and religion.

A benchmark for success, said Abhisit, was in counting the number of troops being withdrawn from the region.

Earlier in the day, Thailand's leading social critic, Dr. Prawes Wasi, and the rector of the Yala Islamic University, Ismail Lutphi Japakiya, called on the state to help reinstate the region's status as the "cradle of Islamic teachings" for Southeast Asia.

Both men pointed to a past when the Malay-speaking region was the centre of Islamic studies for Muslims from around the world. Lutphi said such an effort would be a source of pride for the Thai state.

KPI's director, retired General Ekkachai Srivilas, said an enormous amount of budget, resources and manpower had not produced the desired outcome and called for a new and more comprehensive approach.

DSW's Ayub Khan Pathan, said no solution would be successful it did not take into consideration the historical consciousness and the issue of identity of Malays in the region.

Ayub said the state had to acknowledge it was fighting a well organised network of militants and we had failed to win over the local community's support.