It comes as little surprise that teachers suffer disproportionately higher casualties than the troops whose job it is to combat insurgents and protect fearful civilians. Reluctance on the part of the armed forces to deploy soldiers in the danger zone means that teachers become an easy target for insurgents bent on shutting down schools, which they see as a symbol of the Thai state's authority.

The brutal killing of two schoolteachers who were shot by insurgents and had their bodies burned in the middle of a Yala village last Friday is one of the most shocking incidents to date and it reflects badly on the military.

Teacher unions in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat have intermittently shut down schools in the insurgency-ravaged southern provinces citing the utter failure of security forces to provide adequate protection. As always, the armed forces are at a loss on how they can improve security and provide adequate assurances to teachers on the frontline.

Even casual observers can see that since the outbreak of violence in January 2004, the insurgents have gained the upper hand over the 300,000-strong military. They have been able to terrorise and intimidate the local population in the three southernmost provinces - including anyone who disagrees with their separatist aspirations or radical worldview based on a perversion of Islam.

The insurgents have also perfected hit-and-run guerrilla tactics, such as detonating roadside bombs or murdering civilians, and following up these tactics by melding into the nearest community or civilian population. A total breakdown of law and order has already occurred in a growing number of communities because residents no longer trust the security forces to protect them against ruthless militants who have no qualms about killing anyone who works for or cooperates with state authorities.

It is not difficult to see that the insurgents are waging a war that is costing them very little in terms of casualties while they are able to inflict a much higher number of deaths and injuries on innocent civilians and security personnel.

In the meantime, the demoralised military is too bogged down by incompetence and a general lack of professionalism to develop effective strategies and tactics to combat the insurgents. All of this adds up to an unwillingness to fight.

It is a disgrace for the military that incompetent commanders continue to make inane excuses for delayed reinforcements, including the fear that militants might strew the roads with spikes that will leave military vehicles with flat tyres. Soldiers, for fear of falling into traps, also never give a chase to the insurgents, who enjoy unimpeded freedom of movement. The military always finds convenient excuses to avoid putting its troops in danger. It may be true that the Thai public has never had high expectations of the armed forces, but surely no self-respecting member of the military wants to be accused of cowardice.

Earlier this month, the Defence Ministry, which complained bitterly about scarcity of resources during the nearly six years of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's rule, asked for a budget of Bt115 billion in 2007 - an almost 50 per cent increase over fiscal 2006 - and no lawmakers raised any objections.

It took Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda to remind the armed forces that all soldiers have made a solemn vow to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Thailand with their lives.

With a dramatic increase in its budget, the military is running out of excuses not to put up a fight against insurgents. The raging insurgency in the deep South has been identified as the greatest threat to national security. As such, it calls for the armed forces to prove they are serious about the military oath they have taken to defend the country against its enemies and to make the ultimate sacrifice if it comes to that.