The worst violence on French soil since World War II has pushed long-ignored ethnic grievances to the fore. France’s violent street battles between disaffected youths and riot police in poor Paris suburbs and other cities with sizeable Muslim or immigrant communities have gone on for 11 consecutive nights as of yesterday.

HARD TALK: PM trying to corner the market on patriotism

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra seems to have made it his habit to play the patriotism card when faced with unsavoury situations or questions he has difficulty answering. Last week, when pressed to clarify during his weekly press conference a report in The Washington Post about an alleged secret CIA-operated prison in Thailand, Thaksin again plunged into his usual patriotism-laced harangue aimed at the Thai media.