After being appointed army commander in 2005 , General Sonthi Boonyaratglin expressed confidence that he could resolve the insurgency . He claimed that he would take a " new and effective " approach to a crisis and that " The Army is informed of who the insurgents are and will carry out their duties . " On 1 September 2006 , a day after 22 commercial banks were simultaneously bombed in Yala Province , Sonthi announced that he would break with the government 's no-negotiation policy . However , he noted that " We still do n't know who is the real head of the militants we are fighting with . " In a press conference the next day , he attacked the government for criticising him for trying to negotiate with the anonymous insurgents , and demanded that the government " Free the military and let it do the job . " His confrontation with the government made his call for negotiation extremely popular with the media . Afterwards , insurgents bombed six department stores in Hat Yai city , which until then had been free of insurgent activities . The identity of the insurgents was not revealed . Sonthi was granted an extraordinary increase in executive powers to combat unrest in the far south . By 19 September 2006 ( after Sonthi overthrew the Thai government ) , the army admitted that it was still unsure who to negotiate with . On March 2005 , respected former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun was appointed chairman of a National Reconciliation Commission , tasked with overseeing the restoration of peace to the south . A fierce critic of the Thaksin-government , Anand frequently criticised the handling of southern unrest , and in particular the State of Emergency Decree . He has been quoted to have said , " The authorities have worked inefficiently . They have arrested innocent people instead of the real culprits , leading to mistrust among locals . So , giving them broader power may lead to increased violence and eventually a real crisis "
bombed six department stores
2006 Hat Yai bombings
South Thailand insurgency