BANGKOK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A leading insurgent in Thailand's turbulent southernmost region, for whom several arrest warrants have been issued since the last decade, surrendered to authorities on Tuesday.

The male insurgent, identified as Nasori Saeseng and known as the deputy leader of the Pattani Islamic Mujahideen Movement, turned himself in at the base of an army rangers unit in Kapor district of Pattani province, about 1,055 k south of Bangkok.

The defector was received by Fourth Army Region commander Lt. Gen. Piyawat Nakwanich under the so-called Bring People Home project, according to an army officer attached to the army region.

Several arrest warrants have been issued for him by court between 2001 and 2004 on varied criminal charges including extortion, robberies, attempted murders and illegal weapon possessions, the army officer said.

The Fourth Army Region's Bring People Home project is primarily designed to encourage all suspected insurgents clandestinely operating in Thailand's Deep South region, covering the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, to put down their weapons and surrender to authorities.

However, Nasori is yet to be investigated and brought to justice by the authorities while many other insurgents in the turbulent region are expected to follow suit in the near future, the army officer said.