The rationale against establishing a visibly armed foot patrol in tourist-heavy areas and other vulnerable spots, which would not only provide a certain measure of deterrence against terrorists, but would also help reassure the public, is that such a move would scare away foreign tourists.

Better to let tourists be lulled into a false sense of security than risk losing short-term tourist dollars.

Conventional wisdom had it that Thailand was never a major terrorist target. Or even if it were, insurgents would never consider striking outside of the southernmost Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, which have been turned into a war zone with more than 1,300 people killed since January 4, 2004.

Never mind that such perverse justifications - and such a fatalistic complacency based on stupid assumptions - have time and again been proved wrong.

Don't forget that in April 2005, a man was killed and several people injured when terrorist bombs exploded at Hat Yai Airport, a French-owned Carrefour and a hotel. Security was intensified for several weeks before local authorities lowered their guard, reverting to their usual complacent mode of operation, and they have since crossed their fingers in hopes that terrorists will not attack innocent civilians or "soft" targets again.

In other words, the government has been putting public safety at the mercy of ruthless terrorists who will stop at nothing to advance their cause to create an Islamic homeland in the Malay-speaking deep South.

Insurgents seem to be particularly good at instigating communal violence and racial hatred in this country, where diverse ethnicities and religious faiths have lived in harmony for centuries.

Even with the most prominent security measures in place, not all terror attacks are preventable. Nevertheless, visible signs of preparedness would make it that much more difficult for terrorists to attack and would also serve as a constant reminder to the public of the need to remain vigilant.

Let's hope the government finally realises there are no rules when it comes to the workings of terrorists' twisted minds and their vicious modes of operation. But the least the government can do is their best in terms of intelligence gathering.

Unfortunately, our security services have failed in this regard and continue to do so today. And they have failed because they have been too preoccupied with a mindless turf war to work together.

The latest strike in Hat Yai is way, way beyond a wake-up call for Thailand. It's time that the public put pressure on the caretaker government or its replacement to combat terrorism more effectively, while at the same time upgrading security measures in the strife-torn deep South and the rest of the country.

Unless our military and security agencies begin doing a far better job than they have been of fighting the insurgency and terror attacks in the deep South and restoring some semblance of law and order, we will soon see the current trickle of emigration by Buddhist Thais out of the predominantly Muslim-Malay provinces turn into a mass exodus.

And without the rule of law, do not count on moderate Muslim Thais of Malay descent to cooperate with authorities in the fight against insurgents and terrorists either, because too many of those who have done so have been killed and the rest too intimidated. The tide has now turned against our country's incompetent, fractious security apparatus, and the insurgents and terrorists have gained the upper hand. There may yet be time to reverse the grim situation, but the time to act is now.