Families of those killed have to deal with loss of earnings, making it harder to send kids to school. If family members are injured, the family faces expensive rehabilitation costs and medical bills. The list of social externalities of the conflict is as depressing as it is long. The conflict, even if it is in a low intensity state, is taking its toll on the local population and their livelihoods. For those analyzing the conflict, the deep south is not out of the woods yet. While the insurgency might have calmed down, the bombing in Yala and other sporadic incidents make it clear that while things have improved, it may be too early to rejoice. In 2018 3,000 more will be withdrawn leaving 58,000. Pramote Prom-in, the situation has improved, resulting in 8,700 troops being withdrawn from the region in October 2016. For instance, according to Internal Security Operations Command spokesman Col. Some statistics provide backing for her claims.
Moreover, when I asked her if she is optimistic about the future she replied, “yes, very.” Despite January’s flare up, she has good reason to be hopeful: on the surface at least, things are getting better. She highlights the cyclical role of conflict, as “vulnerable children without parents are more easily persuaded to join conflict and seek revenge.” She says the situation has improved, “there used to be daily bombings, now there are much less.” One reason is as now “there is more reporting and awareness of this issue,” which has led to the reduction in attacks. She has lost four members of her family to the fighting. Wannakanok Pohitaedaoh, the founder of the association for Children and Youth for Peace in the Deep South, knows the personal cost of the conflict all too well. It is then all too clear that the civilians have been affected by the insurgency the most, and have paid a higher price. Out of the estimated 6,000 deaths caused by the violence in Thailand’s deep south, about 90 percent were civilians. In the 14 years since the renewal of the insurgency, there have been 15,164 violent incidents according to one count.
SOUTH THAILAND INSURGENCY FULL
The bomb, which has yet to be claimed by a group, is a stark reminder of the violence that rocked the region for years.Įnjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. In mid-January a motorcycle bomb killed three civilians, wounded many more and is continuing to have repercussions. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. Despite the slow process of peace talks, things were looking up as the violence continued to decrease.īut a recent event in Yala has worried those who were starting to feel optimistic. Soldiers with guns still line the streets in some places, armored vehicles are dotted around highways and there are many checkpoints, more so than elsewhere in Thailand by a large margin. These days, there is still tension on the streets but not as much as before. However, over the last few years the situation in Thailand’s deep south has improved relatively speaking and the conflict is not as heavy as it used to be. By the mid-1950s, a separatist insurgency had begun to emerge and in 2004 it exploded, with several groups launching heavy attacks on civilians and Thai security forces.
SOUTH THAILAND INSURGENCY SERIES
Following the annexation a series of heavy handed, forced assimilation measures stoked tensions and failed to take hold, leaving the area disenfranchised. The Sultanate of Patani was formed in 1516 and had a tumultuous relationship with Siam, with the deep south of Thailand being formally annexed out of the northern Malay Peninsula after the Anglo-Siamese treaty in 1909. The insurgency’s roots in the deep south date back to Thailand’s annexation and conquest of the Malay Sultanate of Patani. The insurgency which has been ongoing in earnest since 2004 has played out mostly in the three southernmost districts of the country - Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat - and occasionally the southern provinces of Songkhla.
Here, the muezzin is heard more frequently than music from bars. Thailand’s deep south is far different from the islands that put Thailand on the tourist map.