It amazes me how, after nearly two decades of fighting that has claimed more than 7,000 lives in this historically contested region where armed Patani Malay combatants are pitted against Thai government security forces, officials still lack the basic understanding of a counter-insurgency.
That is because policymakers always say they are committed to winning the hearts and minds of local people -- a strategy touted as the best solution to fight insurgents like the rebel Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN). But the actions of security forces on the ground tell us that there is still an enormous gap between what the top brass say and what security forces do.
