Amidst the ongoing campaign of daily violence in the area, the first public news of an attempt for a peace dialogue by the Yingluck government was unexpected. From the rumor mill there had been reports of meetings between the Thai army and separatist leaders but there had been no official engagements reported. The Prime Minister herself, Yingluck Shinawatra, seemed to be steering the negotiations. She is the sister of a former prime minister, the ‘controversial’ Thaksin Shinawatra, who now lives in exile. Thought to be a mere proxy for her exiled brother and with little political experience, seasoned political movers thought Yingluck would be a pushover in the rough and tumble of Thai politics. Yet she settled comfortably into her role. Her novice government, Pheu Thai (For Thais Party), found its feet despite the heavy opposition mounted by the Democrat Party and the well-organized anti-Thaksin movements including the powerful People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), known as the Yellow Shirts. Instead of the new government crumbling as many had thought, Yingluck showed some deft political footwork and we are now witnessing a sudden turn-around in the approach in handling the political conflict in the South. For the moment at least, it seems that the Thai government is coming to terms with this reality of what until now has been an intractable problem.