By Trisanat Kongkhunthian BANGKOK, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Resolving an increasingly bloody separatist insurgency in the Muslim-majority far south is the number one concern of Thailand's post-coup interim government, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on Thursday. "The southern situation is the highest, most urgent priority for this government as we have not achieved much progress in the past four months," Suryaud told a news conference. "We must strive to create peace there. I regard this as the top priority. In my heart, I would like to restore peace there as soon as possible," said the former army chief, appointed prime minister after a Sept. 19 coup against Thaksin Shinawatra. Police and the army have stepped up security in Bangkok after a series of coordinated shootings and bombs in the four southermost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla on Sunday, the start of Lunar New Year celebrations. More than 2,000 people have been killed since violence exploded three years ago in the region, an independent Muslim sultanate until annexed by Buddhist Thailand a century ago. Shootings, arson attacks and bombings occur daily, although they have been confined to the region so far. It is still unclear if bombs that killed three people in Bangkok on New Year's Eve were the work of southern militants taking their fight to the capital for the first time, or of Thaksin loyalists in the police or armed forces. Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said security forces were paying close attention to Bangkok universities for signs of infiltration by southern militants, but there was no evidence of that happening yet. "We have asked the First Army Region responsible for Bangkok not to let its guard down," Boonrawd told reporters. "Unrest is not necessarily confined to the south. Fires can break out anywhere. We have to be stricter on security, like after the New Year's Eve incidents in Bangkok," he said. The southern unrest has rattled foreign investors and governments, even though there are no clear signs of links to international militant groups such as al Qaeda, or its southeast Asian affilitate, Jemaah Islamiah (JI). Since coming to office in October, Surayud has made several visits to the south, apologising to Muslim leaders for Thaksin's iron first response. He has also sought help from Thailand's mainly Muslim southern neighbour Malaysia and said he wanted to open talks with the militants, who never claim responsibility for attacks or spell out their aims. However, his overtures have been greeted mainly by an immediate spike in violence, suggesting the militants are opposed to talks.
