November29, 2006: Two months after the military coup, martial law was lifted in the capital, and surrounding provinces. This area was the heart of the popular support for the coup.

November 28, 2006: Two more people were murdered down south. Police believe there are only a few dozen people carrying out most of these murders. Perhaps a third of the killings are to terrorize Moslems into not cooperating with police. The terrorists also have the protection of the smuggling gangs which have long been a powerful force in the south. What you have, in effect, is gangsters protecting several teams of serial killers. Some 1,800 people have died in the violence over that past three years. It's a law enforcement nightmare.

November 27, 2006: In the south, four people, including two soldiers, were killed by Islamic death squads. A roadside bomb wounded three soldiers patrolling near the Malaysia border.

November 26, 2006: On the Burmese border, there is a growing problem with refugees trying to get across. Most of them are from the Karen tribes, which have been at war with the Burmese government for over half a century. The tribes have been losing lately. In the last ten years, over 3,000 Karen villages have been destroyed, and in the past year, nearly 100,000 Karen have become refugees, after nearly 300 Karen villages were destroyed. Many try to get into Thailand, to escape further encounters with the Burmese army. There are about 150,000 official Burmese refugees in Thailand, and over a million illegal ones. Currently, nearly a thousand Karen come to border asking for refugee status, and many more just sneak across.

November 25, 2006: Continued attacks on schools and teachers in the south have forced the government to close 434 schools until security can be improved. Teachers are terrified, and parents are reluctant to send their kids to schools that might be the scene of attacks on teachers, or arson. Last week, two teachers were shot dead and one school was burned down. Meanwhile, the killings continued down south, with three Buddhist farmers being killed by Islamic terrorists.

November 24, 2006: In the south, seven people were murdered by Islamic terrorists, including three Moslems. The terrorists are still having a hard time keeping all their Moslem "supporters" in line. The majority of Moslems down south want better economic opportunities, not an Islamic republic. The terrorists are more about control than setting up an independent Moslem state. There is also a question, when it comes to the alliance between Islamic terrorists and Moslem gangsters, about who is using who.

November 23, 2006: The government will offer tax incentives for companies that expand into the Moslem south. But such incentives are hampered by the Islamic terrorism down there. Actually, the terrorists are backed by the criminal gangs, who may decide to accept new businesses if adequate payoffs are made. It's not easy doing business down south as long as the Islamic gangsters are such a prominent part of the landscape.