Nisoh Kajae, 53, was found on the side of the road with his body riddled with bullets and shotgun pellets.

In Tambon Tohdeng, a unit of 12 soldiers came under a bomb attack while they were conducting regular foot patrol in this remote area infested with suspected insurgents.

The bomb left a metre wide crater, one foot deep. Police said the bomb had been set off remotely, police said.

The attacks came as acting national police chief Pol General Sereepisut Taemeeyaves arrived in Yala province. He will travel to Narathiwat on Thursday to speak to local police about his plan for curbing the separatist uprising.

Critics warned against seeking a quickfix solution, saying insurgency in the Malayspeaking region was much more than an issue of law and order. A growing number of people are suggesting that the government considered the possibility of political reform to give the Malays more political space in the region where over 80 per cent of the local residents are Muslims.

In Pattani, police are setting up a special task force to look into apartment and houses for rent following a recent explosion in a rented room in a rowhouse where bombs were hidden but went off premature.

In Bangkok, army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin assigned deputy army chief General Paisan Kathanyoo to oversee coordination of various agencies in the deep south.

Paisan is expected to clarify the division of labour between the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC), its CivilianPoliceMilitary 43 (CPM43), the agency's security wings, the Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc), which is tasked with carrying out psychological warfare and the Fourth Army Area, which continue to be in charge of mapping out military strategy for the region.

Government agencies assigned to the restive region have come under criticism for failing to curb the ongoing violence.

The Nation