People living in the deep South support the peace talks between the National Security Council (NSC) and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, a survey has found.
According to the poll, conducted by Deep South Watch and the Centre for Conflict Studies and Cultural Diversity, 67% of respondents said they had confidence in the talks.
A total of 871 people representing different stakeholder groups in 187 sub-districts of the nation's southernmost provinces were interviewed from March 21-25.
The poll was conducted after the Malaysia-brokered peace talks deal was signed on Feb 28. The talks began in Kuala Lumpur on March 28, with the next round scheduled for April 29.
The director of Deep South Watch, Srisompob Jitpiromsri, said people in the South are more concerned about drugs and unemployment than the violence. When respondents were asked to give their main concerns, drugs was top of the list, with 70%, followed by unemployment, on 49%. Just 30% of people said they regarded the unrest as their most worrisome problem.
While most people in the South said they support the peace talks, the survey said officials must do more to reassure the public.
Almost 33% of respondents said they did not agree with the talks and thought security authorities should not have negotiated with the rebels at all.
Respondents also said they wanted the NSC and the BRN to first discuss how they could bring about a ceasefire and stop the violence, before moving on to the issues of troop withdrawals, southern development, and amending or lifting the emergency decree.
"The government and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre need to create a better understanding so the public can understand the process," Mr Srisompob said.
"Civil society has undertaken a peace dialogue for a couple of years in a low-profile manner," he said. "Now the talks are being conducted at the official level, authorities should expand their horizons by engaging the public."