The government cannot rest on its laurels following the positive gesture from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation over Thailand's handling of the problems in the restive southern region.
After the week-long visit ended on Sunday, Kassem El-Masry, ambassador and special envoy to the OIC secretary-general, said he was satisfied with the improving situation in the southernmost provinces and called for the government to lift the emergency decree in the region.
He also urged an acceleration of efforts on improving education to come in line with the cultural context of the Muslim-dominated region.
In a joint statement issued after the visit, Thailand and the OIC denounced the indiscriminate acts of violence against innocent civilians as they are against the teachings of Islam.
Mr El-Masry, who also visited the deep South twice before this _ in 2005 and 2007 _ left the kingdom after his first-hand information-gathering trip to Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala.
With 8 million Muslims living in Thailand, Mr El-Masry has been tasked with looking into the country's case in order to make a report which he will submit to the OIC foreign ministers' meeting in Djibouti in November.
Now it is up to the government to show the OIC how serious it is about improving the southern situation.
The southern problem erupted during the administration of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the elder brother of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Daily violence, which has taken the lives of Buddhists and Muslims alike, started almost immediately after an armoury at a military camp in Narathiwat was robbed in 2004. The situation has held the OIC's attention ever since.
One thing the government should bear in mind is it should not be under the illusion that the situation is improving given the decreasing number of deaths, says Surapong Jayanama, a former adviser on security affairs including the southern insurgency to ex-prime minister Surayud Chulanont. The severity of the violence has increased, he added.
An attempt to open dialogue with separatist leaders has been touted by government and security officials, as they believe this could be the most viable solution to the violence.
Permanent secretary for foreign affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow said the government was ready to open a dialogue with all separatist groups to determine their true needs, not just those of certain groups. The problem for Thailand is that no officials know exactly who the insurgent leaders are and which groups are spearheading the violent campaign against the government and Thailand's security forces due to their secret structure which has proven elusive to government intelligence officials.
"Even now I don't know how many separatist groups there are because Thai intelligence is quite weak," admitted Mr Surapong.
For him, one of the difficulties the government has in trying to solve the southern problem is the lack of will among political parties, including the ruling Pheu Thai Party.
Instead each party tries to politicise the issue for their own interests.
"The government has not built up confidence among the southern people in the safety of their lives and property," said Mr Surapong.
As the government tries to figure out ways to deal with the insurgents and end the violence in the South, it should be mindful to avoid a recurrence of incidents like what happened at the Krue Se mosque, the massacre at Tak Bai and the disappearance of Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, he added.
In addition, the government should not forget to shed light on unsettled cases, such as Mr Somchai's and other human right violations against Muslims by authorities in the area.
"Whether the situation will improve or worsen, the government should resolve it step by step, based on the rule of law, and with a focus on tackling economic and social differences," he said.
Thailand achieved an important concession from the OIC when its observer status was granted in 1997.
It allows Thailand a chance to defend its handling of the southern violence to all 57 OIC members. Thailand's strategy towards the OIC, used since the Surayud government five years ago, is to ensure that the problem stays a domestic affair by fending off outside intervention.
Thailand also has successfully lobbied the OIC not to accept the request of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation and the Barasi Revolusi Nasional to take part in the OIC foreign ministers' meetings and to circulate their documents on the southern problem, which would be tantamount to an attack on Thailand at the meeting. Pulo and the BRN have long-standing campaigns to separate the Muslim-dominated southern provinces from the kingdom.
A joint statement signed by OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and then foreign minister Nitya Pibulsonggram years ago led to their common position that the OIC promises to cooperate with the government to help resolve the southern problems.
The OIC also accepts that the problem of the three provinces is Thailand's and the country is a single state which cannot give autonomy to any group.
"But this does not mean other [countries] cannot get involved. Although we view the problem as our internal affair, we have signed many agreements with the UN such those protecting human rights and against torture. We have to respect and comply with these agreements too," said Mr Surapong.
Over the past four years, the OIC has not made any comments on the issue of southern Thailand. But Mr Surapong warned Thailand should not get carried away with the OIC's generosity as the organisation is preoccupied with problems in Arab countries, especially the Arab Spring. But once the Arab Spring is settled, the southern violence could become a focus of the grouping.
Thanida Tansubhapol reports on foreign and regional affairs for the Bangkok Post.