Hearts and Pockets

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Despite security warnings from his intelligence service and the fearful concerns of his wife and three children, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew to southern Thailand last week to deal with the aftermath of the April 28 bloodbath in which security forces killed 108 alleged Islamic militants. Hundreds of people turned up in the village of Wat Muang in Yala province, home to 17 of the Muslims who died that day, to see the tycoon turned politician console grieving relatives, hand out small amounts of cash, rice and washing detergent, and promise school scholarships to the children of those who died. Thaksin said he wanted to "use compassion to turn these bad people into decent ones." And he insisted: "Things are not as terrible as people think."

Thaksin's critics view this assertion as evidence that he is dangerously out of touch with the increasingly restive mood of the south. Since the start of the year, the region has been wracked by bombings, stabbings, shootings and school burnings. Yet Thaksin has so far rejected the notion that the Islamic insurgency involves more than a handful of rebels. Likewise, he seems unwilling to acknowledge that the heavy-handed tactics of his own government and its security forces have fueled Muslim grievances.

In March, Thaksin pledged an economic aid package worth $300 million for the south. But financial assistance has failed to stem the violence. Local Muslims say the quickest way to ease their resentment would be to lift martial law, which Thaksin imposed on most of the south after Islamic gunmen attacked an army depot there in January, killing four soldiers and stealing some 400 rifles. For now, though, the Prime Minister thinks it's safer to bet on the healing power of rice and rhetoric.