Publication

This report discusses the history of violence in the southern, mostly Malay Muslim, part of Thailand. The authors claim that it would be wrong to view the conflict as another manifestation of Islamic terrorism. Instead, the violence is driven by local issues, in particular historic grievances, a pattern of neglect of the Malay Muslim community by the Thai Buddhist government, discrimination, and efforts at forced assimilation. Recommendations to the Thai government include investigations into a number of acts of violence in the past, a less heavy-handed policy in the south, and integration of the Malay Muslim community into state and security structures.