The atrocity committed by the police and the Army against Muslim protesters attracted domestic as well as international condemnation and served as a painful reminder of long-standing mistrust between the government and Muslim Thais of Malay descent in the strife-torn region.

Surayud should be commended for the government's brave admission of a mistake by the Thai state and for this gesture of goodwill toward southern Muslims. This sends a clear signal to people in insurgency-ravaged Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces that the government is prepared to make amends for past wrongs and is sincere in its effort to promote reconciliation between the deep South and the rest of Thai society. Both sides must now work together to end the insurgency that has turned the region into a battlefield, in which over 1,700 have been killed since January 2004, and restore a semblance of law and order.

The shift in emphasis from the use of brute military force to suppress the insurgents and their sympathisers to a softer approach that attaches greater importance to winning the hearts and minds of the local population does not mean that the government should allow the armed rebels to continue to terrorise and harass innocent people, both Muslim and Buddhist, as they have done for almost three years.

Rather it means the security agencies must redouble their efforts to protect innocent civilians and ensure public safety - to bring back a sense of normalcy so that Thai citizens of different ethnic and religious backgrounds can co-exist peacefully as they have done in the past. Insurgents, with their ideology based on a perversion of Islam, must not be allowed to sow the seeds of hatred between Muslims and Buddhists or between Malay Thais and other ethnic groups.

Armed rebellion against the state or any move to erode the political cohesion and territorial integrity of the country will not be tolerated. However, security personnel must be given clear-cut rules of engagement in the fight against insurgents, which also requires them to avoid causing civilian casualties and to respect human rights and rights to protection under the law.

It cannot be emphasised enough that war against Islamic militants or Malay separatists cannot be won through military means alone. Much has been said about the need to come up with political, economic and social development programmes specifically designed to enable people in the southernmost provinces to achieve higher standards of living, make better use of opportunities to advance in society and claim their fair share of the national wealth. But unless the government succeeds in battling the insurgents and restoring peace, such promises will remain unimplemented and unfulfilled.

Surayud's gesture of goodwill was extended to southern Muslims on behalf of the tolerant, multicultural Thai society in which people, regardless of their ethnicity or religious faith, are given equal protection under the law. And Muslims in the deep South should reciprocate by putting their painful past behind them and extending their hands in peace and reconciliation.

It must be pointed out that Muslims in the rest of Thailand who are well integrated into the mainstream society do not feel they are discriminated against in any way. There are many outstanding Muslim individuals who have risen to the top of their respective professions and made positive contributions to the nation. There is no such thing as a conspiracy by Buddhists and other non-Muslims to hold down our fellow citizens from the Muslim South.

The mainstream of society has learned to respect and appreciate the country's multicultural, multiethnic heritage. There is absolutely no reason for Thai Muslims of Malay descent to stand apart and keep to themselves. There is no reason for them not to feel at home in this country.