But the killers of innocent citizens, regardless of what they happen to call themselves, must be brought to justice. Recent news reports about a supposed resurgence of the old 1970s- and 1980s-era separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation (Pulo), based on an interview with a self-proclaimed spokesman, must be treated with a healthy dose of scepticism.

HARD TALK: Blue cross for PM’s ‘Meet the Press’ performance

No matter what his critics had to say about it, the first “Meet the Press” session at Government House last week was in a sense a publicity coup for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. But while Thaksin walked away laughing, members of the media left fuming.