The Thai government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has back-tracked on a campaign pledge to establish a special administration zone in its troubled southern provinces.

Political analysts say a simmering insurgency in the majority-Muslim Malay region can only be resolved by allowing some form of self-rule. But, the government has little incentive to challenge the status quo.

When Thailand’s Pheu Thai party was campaigning for votes earlier this year, they tried to gain support in Thailand’s deep south among people who have not traditionally supported them.