Malaysian PM Najib invited to south next week

Abhisit said he believed one of the best solutions to curb violence in the restive South was to seek international cooperation. He disapproved the proposal to make the southern border provinces a special administrative zone as it would create more conflicts. He said the South had been given autonomy through decentralisation. The locals have the right to elect their local leaders for their own way of self-management.

The PM said the two most important policies to help curb violence were to bring in development to help improve the standard of living of locals and to provide justice.

The government has been trying to make local government understand these two policies and implement them in a more integrated system, he said.

The government has also sponsored a bill to establish an office of southern management. Parliament has accepted the bill in principle and if the bill is passed and goes into effect, the management of the five southern border provinces would be smoother, he said.

Abhisit was speaking via a video conference to a seminar of the Alumni Association of the Prince of Songkhla Univeristy, saying he did not want to attend the seminar because there was a by-election in Songkhla and he did not want to be attacked by showing up there on election day.

The government has also revoked martial law in Songkhla and would later revoke a state of emergency and reduce the military presence there.

Although the number of violent incidents had dropped, the situation in general was still unsatisfactory, Abhisit said.

The government is injecting funds for basic infrastructure such as building more roads, improving train tracks, including building a land bridge for the upper southern region. The PM said he disagreed with a proposal to build casinos in the South as he believed the proposal would have an adverse effect on the way of life and the belief of the locals.

He pointed out that the on-going conflicts between the locals and the state over the gas pipeline development as an example of the state's failure to get local approval and participation in development projects.