Often criticised as a mere talkshop, ASEAN could prevent itself from being perceived as a laughing stock if its members would allow it to play a rightful and legitimate role, particularly in dispute settlement. Ultimately, a call for help from the UN is unnecessary if both Thailand and Cambodia truly have their faith in ASEAN and genuinely want to resolve their conflict.

It can be expected that, while PKS’ leadership will continue their efforts to appear open and moderate, they will also be careful to protect the party’s core Islamic identity. For example, party leaders have again vowed recently to uphold support for the draconian and quintessentially Islamist anti-pornography law, described as “a gift for the Muslim community”.

The tactical move from both sides, with the appointment of Kittiphong as a new envoy to the United States and Thaksin’s relentless war against the ruling government, points to the fact that the reconciliation plan is destined to become a failure. It will fail simply because Thaksin, instead of being invited to become a part of the reconciliation, is being further isolated.

A human rights body needs to have the authority to ensure that rights are protected. The AIHCR does not have the authority to investigate, prosecute or impose punishments for violations. At the very heart of the matter, the principal of non-interference removes the possibility of securing individual state compliance.

We must never presume that the Artist occupies a privileged position by virtue of his or her vocation or that divine thingamajig we call ‘Art’ is sacred and unchallengeable. But in order to engage seriously with artists we need to respond with a combination of history, aesthetics, and philosophy, and not with kneejerk appeals to fear or that elusive beast we know as the ‘conservative majority’.