Security authorities in the restive South must be commended for their swift handling of the extra-judicial killings of four young Muslim men in Pattani's Thung Yang Daeng district. But it will take much more than a prompt investigation, public apology, and financial compensation from security forces to restore the trust of the ethnic Malay Muslim population.
Now that the truth behind the Thung Yang Daeng killings has been established, the locals are watching closely to see if justice will be done.
On March 25, the four men were gunned down by a group of military rangers in a raid against suspected militants. An uproar on the ground ensued because the belief was that the charges were unfounded.
Since the killings involved two students of Fatoni University, a prestigious institution in the far South, and the son of a community leader, security forces could not ignore the petition as they often do when ordinary villagers are killed.
A fact-finding panel was immediately established by the Internal Security Operations Command with the promise of results within seven days.
Scepticism was understandably high. One of the main reasons for the protracted violence in the deep South is abuse of state power and the prevalent culture of impunity within the security forces.
Emotions therefore ran high when the fact-finding committee announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the victims were innocent and that the guns found at their sides were not theirs.
The 4th Army Region Commander promptly offered a public apology for the murders and asked for the Muslim community's support in pursuit of non-violent measures to return normalcy to the deep South. Many Muslims cried. The tears were for the truth recognised about the Thung Yang Daeng killings — and for the truths denied by most other extra-judicial killings in the restive South.
Many describe the security forces' quick investigation and their willingness to accept mistakes — and to apologise — as a new chapter in the government's battle against the southern insurgency. They may be right — if the seven rangers responsible for the Thung Yang Daeng murders are eventually charged and sent to court.
Pattani provincial police chief Maj Gen Pol Kritsakorn Phleethanyawong seems to realise the lingering mistrust. He promised legal action against the seven rangers.
For the locals, however, actions speak louder than words. They have seen far too many cases stalled or thrown out of the justice system when public attention has subsided.
While the government must ensure justice is done in the Thung Yang Daeng murders, it must not stop there. It must deal with systematic power abuse in the security forces and the deep-rooted culture of impunity.
Human rights activist Pornpen Khongkachonkiet said more than 500 "militants" have been killed by security forces since 2004. The National Human Rights Commission has received more than 130 complaints about torture in the deep South, while the Muslim Attorney Centre has received more than 300 complaints.
So far, not one single security official has been punished, said Ms Pornpen, director of the Cross Cultural Foundation. Only a few highly-publicised killings have been probed by fact-finding panels, which led to financial compensation for victims' families. But no perpetrators have been punished by law.
Hence, the locals' deep resentment of state authorities, and the unresolved cycle of revenge.
Unless the government gets rid of the culture of impunity among the security forces, any hopes of ending the decade-long violence look slim.