ABSTRACT
The conflict originated in the early twentieth century, when the 1909 Anglo-Siamese Treaty divided the territory of the historical Islamic sultanate of Patani, separating the area from Muslim-majority Malaysia. The southern provinces have failed to assimilate with Buddhist-dominated Thailand, and Muslim residents representing 85% of the region's population largely reject Bangkok's authority. Sporadic violence has persisted in rural areas as peace initiatives have stalled. From 2014-19, the umbrella rebel group Mara Patani engaged in dialogue with the Thai government, but it proved unable to stem attacks by BRN forces. The BRN finally entered direct talks, mediated by Malaysia, in 2020. A fifth round of formal peace negotiations between the Thai government and the BRN took place in early August 2022, but ended without any concrete results. Despite this commitment, talks with the BRN are still at an exploratory stage (as of June 2023) and the path to a future territorial or political settlement remains uncertain.
