A quick lesson how not to handle things.

After a truly awful day in Thai history, more than 100 people lie dead. Apparently young Muslim men, hell-bent on suicide, they attacked heavily-fortified police posts and other targets at 15 locations in the south of Thailand, most armed with nothing other than machetes. After the fighting had stopped, more than 100 young men lay dead. What posessed these poor wretches to do this? What were they hoping to achieve?

So what does the PM do? He declares this a victory?

"Prime Minister Thaksin Shina-watra was quick to declare victory yesterday, using the death count as a benchmark for success and praised the security forces for prompt and deadly response."

For whom is this a victory? For the local communties? Hardly. For the long-term prospects for peace in the south? Hardly.

72 dead on Oct 14, 1973

41 dead on Oct 6, 1976

44 dead on May 17-20, 1992

107 dead on April 28, 2004

That's some victory.

Using death-counts as a measure of success was what the US did in Vietnam.