Chavalit heading south on his proposal for Deep South

Hundreds of red shirts lined up to welcome Chavalit upon his arrival in Songkhla, the starting point to travel on to the three southernmost provinces.

In circulating his proposal on Monday, Chavalit insisted he did not condone any plans for sedition and secession.

He said he wanted the self-rule to be within the provisions of the Constitution. The objective was to allow the Muslim residents, which constitute the majority in the three southernmost provinces, not to feel marginalised like second-class citizens.

He added that the proposal had no definite details, hence opening for further negotiations.

He did not explain why he chose the word Nakhon Rat, which means a principality.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said he saw virtually no chance for Chavalit's prososal to come to fruition.

"Even though I know Chavalit for more than 30 years, I still find him confusing," Suthep said, alluding to the proposal without any details, particularly the lack of meaning of self-rule and of the road map for implementation.

Leading figures on the Deep South issues, such as former senator Den Tohmeena and former coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, declined to join Chavalit on his visit to the South.

Den said even though he viewed Chavalit's proposal might worth a try since all other efforts had failed, he was too busy to take the trip.

Muslim leaders in Yala voiced caution for a thorough review on the proposal, warning a hasty decision might lead to more confusion.