In fact, despite all his talk, terrorism in southern region has never been his priority. Thaksin has indeed been talking tough. But in practice, in his five years in office he has done little to seriously find a solution to the problem. Worse still, his critics believe his top-down approach and blind arrogance have contributed to the escalating violence.

The scale and frequency of the violence speaks for itself. Things have obviously gone downhill from the day Thaksin described the militants who robbed an Army camp in Narathiwat in January 2004 as a band of "worthless bandits". The bloody Krue Se assault and the Tak Bai massacre may have dwarfed other incidents in terms of cruelty and casualties. But it is the daily hit-and-run attacks that have claimed more than 1,200 lives so far that are the constant reminder that the Thaksin government has lost control of the situation.

The coordinated bombings of government offices, police units and Army checkpoints at more than 40 locations in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat by Islamic militants last week has sent out an unmistakable signal that the worst is yet to come. And Thaksin seems to be at a loss - once again - as to what to do.

It is obvious that whoever was behind the rash of bomb blasts only wanted to make a political statement. It shouldn't be difficult to imagine the extent of damage and casualties had the militants chosen to use powerful bombs instead of simple home-made explosive devices that caused only a few casualties.

Claiming that authorities knew about the impending attacks planned against government installations but were ineffective in stopping them certainly didn't make Thaksin and his government look any better. Assuming that the claim is correct, then the obvious question is: What's the use of having good intelligence but not having the capacity or the means to act on it?

Instead of trying to focus on the real issue, Thaksin once again turns to what he does best - whining about how those who are supposed to be in charge did not do their work. The caretaker prime minister declared in the aftermath of the latest incidents that he planned to make a trip to the South soon, but somehow changed his mind after returning from a quick visit to Kazakhstan.

While Thaksin's presence in the region would not make any difference - his previous trips amounted to nothing more than public relations exercises - his decision not to go there only means that he sees no urgency in trying to stem the resurgence of violence in the region.

The bombing attacks, which were preceded by the brutal beating of two women teachers taken hostage at a school in Narathiwat a few weeks earlier, were without a doubt a slap in the face of the Thaksin administration. They rendered hollow all claims of progress made in the fight against the Muslim militants in the three southernmost provinces.

It was just a few weeks ago that authorities in Bangkok were still boasting about how they had the militants on the run and all the alleged masterminds under watch. But officials on the ground tell a totally different story.

The massive presence of security forces in the three provinces, bolstered by their powers under the much-criticised emergency law, may have put a check on the violence, but it definitely hasn't really changed the course of the situation. Preoccupied with responding to the daily acts of terrorism, the government has neglected fundamental issues that are the root cause of the violence. They include economic inequality, social injustice and the alienation of the Muslim-dominated populace.

One question that Thaksin needs to answer before he holds out any more hopes about the ability of his administration to handle the situation in the South is: Who is really in charge?

It shouldn't be forgotten that at the height of the violence two years ago Thaksin confidently announced that he would personally take charge of the problem. But it's clear that those were just empty words. He has been so busy with many other things that the southern violence never seems to be high on his agenda.

And what happened to Newin Chidchob, minister of the PM's Office and one of Thaksin's most trusted aides, who was supposed to head a high-level committee charged with drawing up a master development plan to wean the local population away from the influence of the militants? Newin has been too busy scheming to help his beleaguered boss survive the political crisis.

For a while Pol Gen Chidchai Vanasatidya, deputy prime minister and caretaker justice minister, gave the impression that he was in charge. And yet no one really thought that he was treating the problem as his top priority. His grasp of the problem and his ability to coordinate among the various government agencies has always been a question mark, and yet Thaksin still pins all his hope on him.

So despite the gravity of the situation, it looks as if Thaksin is treating the unrest as nothing more than an irritant that doesn't deserve his full attention. Golfing with his political buddies seems to be more important than devoting his time and energy to addressing what is probably the biggest security threat to the country.

He described the militants responsible for the latest series of blasts as "rats" that would be hunted down if only senior officials could get their act together.

But why would they bother to put more energy into dealing with the problem when the man at the top doesn't act like there is a crisis at hand?

Thepchai Yong