Barely with any fanfare despite the controversial nature of the case, the Narathiwat provincial court recently acquitted the only defendant charged with the murder of ten Malay Muslims at the Al Furgon masjid in Ban Aipayae, Cho Airong district on June 8, 2009. 12 other people at the masjid were also wounded.

Oil smuggling racket has long been suspected of connected with southern insurgency problem and income from the racket has been used to fund the activities of separatist gangs.

The surge of violence against soft targets such as women, Buddhists in particular, in recent months and the latest car bomb attack in Betong downtown on July 25 have raised a big question mark about whether these signal the launch of the second round of war of insurgency against the Thai state and its people by the Islamic militant groups.

The car bomb which went off in front of a cock fighting ring in Tambon Na Pradoo, Kok Po district of Pattani on July 23, killing two people and wounding eight others, including a 12-year girl was the second of its kind this year in the three southernmost provinces and the 42nd since 2004.

"I come here to say farewell to Colonel Chandler because this is the last day of the services of three KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) outlets in the three southernmost provinces."