Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva also assigned Mr Suthep Thaugsuban, one of his deputy prime ministers, to oversee the overall situation in the troubled south, which is a stronghold of his Democrat Party.

'The government will adopt a new law to set up a new administrative organisation to supervise and administer the region,' he told reporters after his first Cabinet meeting.

'My government considers the southern policy as one of the most urgent policies and after this I will summon all existing and concerned agencies to discuss the southern issue,' he said.

More than 3,500 people have been killed since separatist unrest erupted in early 2004 in southern Thailand, with a soldier killed in a drive-by shooting yesterday.

Tensions have simmered since Thailand annexed the mainly Malay sultanate in 1902.

Mr Abhisit said his government would use not only security measures to tackle the problem but also address economic and cultural differences in the region.

'Otherwise we will have to send enormous forces and that's not the answer or a sustainable solution. We will review the laws and all measures will be implemented simultaneously,' he said.

The violence in the southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, along with part of Songkhla province, has continued almost daily since the Democrats assumed power on Dec 15.

Although Mr Abhisit has promised to reach out to all Thais to heal the country's deep political rifts, he faces an uphill task in winning over people such as Kwanchai Sarakam of Udon Thani. The 56-year-old radio host has become the standard-bearer of Mr Abhisit's nemesis, Thaksin Shinawatra, who still looms large more than two years after his removal in a coup.

Mr Kwanchai's hard-hitting and aggressive radio show has made him a powerful political force. For 20 hours a day, his show berates Mr Abhisit, the army and the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) that seized Bangkok's airports, accusing them of an unholy alliance to rub Thaksin off the political map.

Callers frequently use foul language on air, demonstrating the depth of feeling in an impoverished province where most voters say they benefited from Thaksin's policies such as cheap public health care and credit for farmers.

Mr Kwanchai also claims to be rallying thousands of people to travel to Bangkok next week to blockade parliament ahead of Mr Abhisit's maiden address.

Thaksin supporters in Udon, a major United States airbase during the Vietnam War, also resent charges by the PAD and Bangkok elite that they are ignorant hicks duped by Thaksin's political populism and alleged vote-buying.

'In the past, politicians came with empty pledges and 30 baht (S$1.26) for each vote during campaigns,' veteran canvasser Nuanpan Chomson said. 'But unlike other politicians and parties, Thaksin actually delivered on his promises.'

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS