The SBPAC, to be headed by a senior Interior Ministry official, is expected to tackle the complicated social, political and economic problems that have fuelled a renewed rebellion by Islamic insurgents/Malay separatists that has killed more than 1,700 people since the beginning of 2004. The centre was disbanded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra shortly after he came to power in 2001.

The body will work alongside a task force comprising representatives of the armed forces, the police and Interior Ministry officials, which is responsible for combating insurgents and maintaining law and order. It will be charged with formulating policies in consultation with local community and religious leaders to try to achieve reconciliation with Thai Muslims of Malay descent, who form the overwhelming majority of the population in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

It is encouraging that the Justice Ministry will also play an active role in the South by serving as a check and balance against possible abuses of power by the security forces that fighting the insurgents in the region. There have been complaints about atrocities committed by police and security forces in the past, including alleged torture of some suspected insurgents and even the mysterious disappearance and presumed death of others after they were taken into custody.

Guaranteeing that basic human rights in the region will be protected and making sure that all criminal suspects will be accorded the due process of the law is a good way to promote confidence and mutual trust between the local population and the authorities.

Despite Thai society's more accepting attitude toward ethnic Malays and their way of life, the standard of living of people in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat still trails behind the rest of country, as a result of long neglect in the past decades. It is believed that resentment about this on the part of local people is what keeps the separatist movement alive.

Although bringing back the SBPAC signals a major policy shift from that pursued by the Thaksin government toppled in the September 19 military coup, it is premature to assume that the government has taken the right track in dealing with the insurgency in the deep South or that the situation there will improve dramatically.

The situation in the South is expected to get worse before it gets better. The government will have to strike a delicate balance between battling ruthless insurgents bent on terrorising local people - many of whom do not agree with their separatist aspirations or terrorist tactics - and implementing measures to build mutual trust between the authorities and the local population. The continued failure by the armed forces and police to restore a semblance of law and order is unacceptable. How can local people be assured of the government's ability to deliver on its promises to address their long-standing grievances when it cannot even provide public safety and freedom from fear of being harassed by insurgents?

Let's not forget the SBPAC was set up in the 1980s, after it became obvious that government troops were winning the battle against separatist guerrillas that started two decades previously. The creation of the SBPAC then was considered a coup de grace that finished off the separatists after the government made good use of the body to promote better understanding with local people and introduced well-thought-out development programmes that benefited them.

But the situation in the South has changed. The radicalisation of Muslims is a relatively new phenomenon requiring a different approach. The government must ensure that the new SBPAC will not be just another static bureaucratic structure bound by inflexible rules and regulations. To be effective, it must perform as an organic structure that is capable of reacting and adapting to the situation on the ground. It must be able to come up with innovative tactics and strategies to combat insurgents and make peace. The SBPAC's first priority is to bring back law and order.