However, Mahathir’s initiative was largely ignored by the Thaksin Shinawatra government, which was preoccupied with an extended domestic political crisis which culminated in the September 2006 military coup. Anand told me himself that the militant representatives he met in Langkawi had no interest in any political solution such as autonomy; the Langkawi discussions were little more than a confidence-building measure, rather than a prelude to serious negotiations.