ABSTRACT
Since January 2004 the insurgency in the southern Thai provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala has taken a violent turn and is now at its bloodiest stage in the entire history of the Kingdom with about 1,000 people being killed in the simmering violence. Insurgents in southern Thailand have targeted almost everyone: the security forces, government officials, civilians, and especially Buddhists. Thailand’s security forces have also responded in kind, killing insurgents in significant numbers. On one notable occasion, Thai authorities were perceived to have taken a particularly heavy hand; during the October 25, 2004, riot in Tak Bai, 78 Muslim protesters were taken into custody and later died from suffocation. That incident brought a new dimension to the conflict.
