October3, 2008:  Despite the announced peace talks in the south, the killings  continue. Not as many as before, but 700 have died in the last year, and 3,400 in the last four. That's about two people a day, in an area with a population of two million. That's about five times the murder rate in the rest of the country. The rate of violence has decreased as the police and army have gained the upper hand, but many of the Islamic terrorists are willing to fight to the death. The groups that are negotiating a peace deal are largely moderates who have long tolerated the actions of the militants, or opposed them, but were willing to actively confront the terrorists. The peace talks are all about the moderates willing to consider fighting the terrorists. This is prompted, in part, by increased Islamic violence against southern Moslems suspected to assisting the police. More southerners are doing just that, and the peace negotiations are another aspect of that trend.

September 21, 2008: The government and representatives of the Moslem population in the south held peace talks, and agreed to work out their differences in further talks next month. Indonesian officials helped arrange the peace talks.