Welcome to Yala, Mr. Abhisit
By Zachary Abuza
Since the September 2006 coup in Thailand, attention has been focused on the country’s rapid political turnover and instability. Yet the Malay-Muslim insurgency in the country’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat has continued unabated. The new government in Bangkok has stated that resolving the insurgency is one of its top priorities, and it has spoken of the need for reconciliation and social justice. The insurgents, unconcerned about who is in power in Bangkok, have continued their campaign of violence with no end in sight. This article addresses Thailand’s political turnover, provides an analysis of the violence, and finally offers a review of new policies that the government has initiated in the south.
The article appears in the February issue of Sentinel, published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. http://ctc.usma.edu/sentinel/
