JP/6 /NATION

Don Pathan The Nation Asia News Network Bangkok In the past few weeks, the conflict between rival interest groups in green and khaki uniforms has threatened to deepen the crisis in southern Thailand, where most Thai-Muslims live.

Locals, intellectuals and concerned authorities said the recent violence in Narathiwat was linked to interest groups fighting for their turf and business in the deep South.

They are police, military, politicians, provincial officials and businessmen who have extensive networks of legal and illegal businesses throughout the southern provinces.

They said that after the government decided recently to abolish both the Civilian-Police-Military Combined Command 43 and the Southern Provincial Administrative Center, the two bodies that oversee the South, violence has increased.

Also, they fear the turf wars could have far-reaching ramifications for the delicate fabric of the Thai-Muslim community because it would lead to negative profiling of them as being a part of certain overseas organizations.

Even Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun, who toured the South last week, conceded that conflicts over illegal gambling operations, narcotics and arms trafficking had contributed to the growing violence in the southern most province of Narathiwat.

"Officials from the local districts and Bangkok are some of their supporters. The pending annual reshuffle of police is one of their causes," he admitted.

So far, most of the targets have been local police and security officials and their units.

The aim is to rob the officials of their weapons and use them for other purposes. More than 80 rifles and arms have been taken during the various ambushes.

The pattern of the ambushes and arms robberies have led officials concerned in the military and police to believe that remnants of separatist groups are active again.

When top security officials -- including Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, National Security Council Secretary- General Kachadpai Burusapatana and armed forces commanders -- met on Monday, they agreed to set up a new intelligence operations centre run by the 4th Army, which used to handle all security matters in the South.

Before Monday's decision to bring in the military for intelligence gathering and psychological operations, there had been heated debate on the overlapping responsibility of police and the Civilian-Police-Military Combined Command 43 and Southern Provincial Administrative Centre.

Essentially, the new plan reverses the government's earlier position that the violence was caused by thugs and bandits and that the threat from organized separatists no longer existed.

It is also a face-saving device for the Interior Ministry and police over their failure to establish the cause of violence and build counter-strategies as they had assumed all the responsibility related to security in the South.

Inevitably, local Muslim residents are caught in the crossfire of the growing conflict.

Although they view the ongoing situation without great alarm because of the overall calm and stability in the South, they nevertheless fear the conflicts of interest among uniformed officials and their networks could have a spill-over effect on their lives and the Thai-Muslim communities.

Pirayos Rahimmula of Songkhla Nakarin University, Pattani campus, said that conflicts among vested interests were the key factor that has been influencing the overall situation in the South.

He urged the government to set up a study center which will pool resources from police, local communities and academics so that they can have a clearer understanding of local conditions.

Abdul Rahman, chairman of the Islamic Committee in Narathiwat, agreed and said the authorities, especially the police, had to be more sensitive towards local communities.

For instance, he said the "groundless" rumors about the al- Qaeda group could backfire as they would raise fears among the public. This sentiment was shared by Nathmuddin Umma, a Thai Rak Thai MP for Narathiwat. He expressed the hope that the situation in the South would not be blown out of proportion as it would have a devastating impact on civilians.