Work on Thailand's first private Islamic hospital, part of the Pattani Jaya "City of Peace" now under construction in Pattani, is nearly half done.

The Bt. 6 billion ($183.8m) Pattani Jaya megaproject is intended to serve as a model for peaceful living under Islamic doctrines, bringing hope to people living in the Deep South. Its first stages are projected for completion in 2015.

Project director Saleh Talek told Khabar Southeast Asia the project will officially be named Madinah Al-Salam.

Planned facilities include a mosque, hospital, international school, halal shopping mall, public park, health centre, museum, business zone, conference hall, public library and housing.

Yala Islamic University is also planning to move to the new city, where it will be renamed, he said.

"We would like to establish a peaceful Islamic community in accordance with the lifestyle of the people of the Deep South, showing that Islam can lead the way in bringing peace to society and provide the framework for people from a variety of backgrounds to lead happy, fulfilling lives," Saleh said.

"We hope one day peace will come to all our brothers throughout the region. The key to achieving this is developing a community with strong social and religious ethics, as well as a good quality of life."

Attracting investment

The local economy suffered a lack of new investment and loss of existing entrepreneurs, with the tourism sector especially hard hit.

Lack of jobs meanwhile, caused many residents to leave, especially for neighbouring Songkhla and tourism-friendly places like Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga.

"I believe that building the city will help attract more investment to the region, both from neighbouring countries and domestically, as well as expanding career opportunities locally in the future," Saleh said.

"We believe insurgent violence will be reduced if people here have stronger ethical grounding, improved education and a better quality of life in general."

A source of hope

The project is a vast source of hope for residents of the violence-plagued region, where educational opportunities have been compromised due to a lack of teachers, especially after insurgents began targeting teachers from outside the region working in the Deep South.

"Getting a new university in Pattani is good news and I believe that students from other regions and other countries will come here to study," Prince of Songkla University student Surawadee Benkharn told Khabar.

Said local Muslim resident Nareesun Hasanee, "I would like to see my children, other relatives and many other people come back with a chance to work in their hometown and restore its reputation to what it was in the past."