There is not much to lament about the demise of the peace talks between the government and the southern separatists. After all, this was a forced marriage between the Buddhist Thai state and the Malay Muslim separatist movement. The match-makers were former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Malaysian government. Neither side was ready for what ended up as a brief publicity stunt. The Thai side was plagued by internal disunity. The military and civilian security agencies did not see eye-to-eye, while politicians have constantly sent conflicting signals. Thai negotiators are also new to the bargaining game, thus keeping Thailand on the defensive. The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) is a clandestine movement that went underground 28 years ago with a clear goal to form an independent state in the South. Going public to strike a political compromise was never its goal. The life of megaphone diplomacy is always short. Yet it has created a concrete and irreversible impact. It has effectively raised public awareness about what constitutes the southern insurgency problem, as well as legitimised future discussions on different forms of autonomy. The peace dialogue led by National Security Council (NSC) chief Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut and BRN representative Hassan Taib will from now on have to be adjusted into a more appropriate and pragmatic mode of communication.