On November 18, 2009, the chief of the Joint Security Command, Lt. Gen. Kasikorn Kiriri, warned security forces in southern Thailand to “brace for possible insurgent attacks in retaliation for the deaths of six suspects” killed two days earlier. Roughly a year after the resurgence of violence in southern Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinnawat asked former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun to head a special commission, the National Reconciliation Commission, composed of politicians – both the government and the then opposition; senior bureaucrats – both civilian and military; and civil society members – both local and national. Another important lesson learned about autonomy and ethnic conflict is that“careful design of institutional structures is essential for the success of autonomy.” The Buddhists’ resentment of the Malay Muslims and the ways in which they have been treated by the officials of the Thai state are crucial for exploring the destiny of autonomy as a new mode of governance.