The government should embrace the principles of justice and non-violence to break the vicious cycle of mayhem in the far South.

This is the key message from the 132-page report by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC). And like many good ideas before, it looks like being left on the shelf.

Almost a month after the NRC report was submitted, none of the relevant ministers seem to have found time to assess it. The cool reaction speaks volumes about the government's insensitivity to unrest in the troubled region.

Two Cabinet members helped to draft the report but decided to distance themselves from the NRC as well as its recommendations.

Caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang explicitly said he would keep quiet rather than reveal his stand for or against the NRC. And caretaker Deputy PM Chidchai Vanasatidya said he would draw his conclusions after relevant authorities looked at it.

The Cabinet has acknowledged the report but did not endorse it.

Under the guidance of NRC chairman Anand Panyarachun, the report is articulate in putting the strife-torn South in context. But state agencies appear reluctant to rally behind it.

This may be because some see the report's bold recommendations as more shocking than the violence engulfing the region. As if anticipating its lukewarm reception, the report states that its recommendations are based on an innovative approach to quelling the violence.

Embarking on its mission last March, the NRC has tried to ensure peace and harmony for both the present and future of society. Its main goal is not to stop the daily carnage but to induce changes to turn around violence-prone areas.

It gives a comprehensive overview of the deep South, examining problems from relevant perspectives. It points out how and why Muslims perceive themselves as marginalised or second-class citizens even though they are the majority in the deep South.

It says violence should never be condoned but terror attacks should be resolved by political means, not harsh suppression.

It outlines how the fabric of society is on the brink of collapse due to the lack of trust in authorities. Injustice and arbitrary law enforcement have fanned violence.

Security authorities say the NRC report accurately depicts the problem but its solution is new and untried. The South is in a dire situation not conducive for use as a laboratory to test a new medicine, they say.

The NRC's recommendations include the formation of an unarmed peace-keeping force, called Santi Sena. But this appears impractical to put into action because authorities seem slow to respond to any incidents, even when fully armed.

Proponents of Santi Sena may be best starting with a pilot unit to demonstrate whether their idea will work, rather than calling for full deployment.

In trying to involve the local community to repel violence, the NRC calls for the establishment of myriad committees, religious and secular, triggering concern about jurisdictional disputes.

It also urges for the adoption of Pattani Malayu, a local Yawi dialect, as a working language. The spoken tongue is ancient and has to rely on either Arabic or Roman alphabets for spelling. But introducing an old language might create confusion when the employment of interpreters in every government office may suffice.

The main recommendation is for the enactment of a draft bill aimed at establishing the Peaceful Strategic Operation Centre for Southern Border Provinces.

The new centre is slated to be a super agency to oversee the administration. It would superimpose a bureaucracy on the existing administration. But if rogue officials are culprits inflicting injustice on locals assumed to be militants, then a larger and powerful bureaucracy could have even more of them. Plus, the centre would be headed by a senior officer appointed from Bangkok.

Avudh Panananda

The Nation