December 9, 2005: The government is trying to control the media coverage of the Islamic terrorism in the south. The bad press scares off tourists more than the actual violence (which, as a practical matter, only bumps up the crime rate a bit, something that tourists would not otherwise notice.) This spin effort isn't working.

December 8, 2005: Malaysia turned over southern separatist leader Hamzah bin Mat Saud, who had taken refuge in Malaysia. This is a big deal, because the separatist cause in popular in Malaysia, where the government has to take political heat to crack down on these separatists. The main reason for this is Islamic terrorists, who have become leaders in the separatist movement.

December 6, 2005: In the south, a Moslem cleric was killed, apparently by Islamic terrorists trying to force the Islamic clergy to stop opposing the terrorism.