New Thai PM Vows End to South Unrest

"I will act on my own conscience as prime minister. I will be friendly with everyone," Surayud said.

"Two urgent problems are the political problems and the southern violence. Solving these requires unity and full cooperation from the public," Surayud told reporters shortly after taking office, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"I will put these two issues at the top of my agenda," he said. "I will make a great effort to solve these two problems within one year."

The military coup led by Thailand's first ever Muslim chief-of-staff Sonthi Boonyaratglin has brought hopes of peace for the people of the south who have long complained of the heavy-handed policies of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Muslim-majority provinces bordering Malaysia have been plagued by unrest since January 2004, and Thaksin's decision to impose emergency rule there in 2005 was widely criticized, especially among the sizable Muslim community.

The measure gave security forces broad immunity from prosecution, which human rights groups say led to extra-judicial killings and other abuses.

Nearly 1,500 people have been killed since the unrest erupted.

Muslims in the south, who make up five percent of the population, have long complained of discrimination in jobs, education and business opportunities.

In 2004, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said the government's failure to address Muslim injustices and open a genuine dialogue with Muslim leaders in the south is the real reason behind unrest in the country.

Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are the only Muslim-majority provinces in Thailand and were an independent Muslim sultanate until annexed officially a century ago.

Responsibility

Surayud said he was not sure if he deserved the job, but he had to "take the responsibility" after receiving a mandate from the king.

Surayud, a retired general, has in the past spoken out against military involvement in politics, but he told reporters he felt he had to take the job "because of the necessity to address the country's problems."

"I'm looking at the long term," he said in Thai.

"I will act on my own conscience as prime minister. I will be friendly with everyone, and will try to listen to all the information if possible, and to meet with every sector of society," Surayud said.

"I will stand firm on good virtues and encourage fairness," he added.

Surayud said he would need one week to name his cabinet.

"What I'm looking for in my ministers are people who are politically neutral, knowledgeable, competent, and willing to work," he said.

"After that I will explain the government policies to create more confidence for investors.

On the economy, he said he would not measure progress based only on the gross domestic product (GDP).

"I will not focus on GDP as the previous government, but I will adhere to the sufficiency economy advocated by the king," Surayud said. "I will focus on the happiness of the people rather than the GDP."

Tough Balancing

Although a career military man, Surayud has a reputation as a reformer who recognized the need to keep soldiers out of politics in a country which has now seen 18 successful coups.

The coming months could test his patience to the limits as he tries to convince Thais and outsiders he is marching the country back to democracy at the same time as keeping his old friends in the army happy.

Despite promises not to interfere, doubts remain about the military's neutrality, especially given that the coup leaders are staying on in the form of a Council for National Security (CNS) with the power to dismiss the interim administration.

"He has to keep the military in line, he has to seem legitimate and he has to avoid the appearance of being a stooge or being a puppet to the military," Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University told Reuters.

"He also has to get things done. This is a tough balancing act."

Under the new interim constitution, the new premier is charged with keeping the country and economy ticking over while an assembly of 2,000 eminent Thais draws up a new long-term constitution.

According to the generals' "democracy roadmap", this should take about nine months, at the end of which there will be a referendum and national elections.