Timeline of events related to the South Thailand insurgency

This article contains the timeline of events for the South Thailand insurgency from the 1960s to 2015.

For earlier events see History of Thailand.

1960–1998
Although the conflict was carried out with less intensity, armed resistance in the 1960s and 1970s involved up to 1,500 insurgents.

In 1960, Barisan Revolusi Nasional was founded by Haji Abdul Karim in response to the introduction of a secular curriculum in Pattani's religious bording schools.

In 1968, Patani United Liberation Organisation was founded by Tengku Bira Kotanila (alias Kabir Abdul Rahman).PULO became the most powerful insurgent group during the 1960 – 2000 period of the war.

On 29 November 1975, Thai marines allegedly murdered five Muslim youths in the Bacho district of the Narathiwat province. The government allegedly failed to conduct a proper investigation into the matter.

On 11 December 1975, PULO organised mass protests in response to the event, which were joined by 70,000 Malay Muslims. A bomb was thrown into the crowd killing 12 and injuring at least 30 protestors. The attack was blamed on Buddhist extremists.

The government then proceeded to charge and imprison the perpetrators, launch an official inquiry and compensate the families of the victims. Despite the fact that the majority of the protestors demands were granted, the event led to an escalation of the insurgency.

In June 1977, Sabilillah (Path of God) bombed the Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok. In the aftermath of the bombing Sabilillah vanished into obscurity.

In September 1977, Black December 1902 members threw a bomb into a Thai royal ceremony. 5 people were killed and 47 wounded. The royal family managed to escape unharmed.

In 1977, security forces killed BNPP leader Tunku Yala Nasae.

Renewed agitation began in the 1990s, led by Malay intellectuals influenced by revolutionary and Islamist ideas from the Middle East. The BRN split into three rival factions, of which the most militant were the BRN Coordinate and the BRN Congress. The BRN Congress is now regarded as the most active group, but there are several others, and competition between these militant groups has helped fuel the insurgency. It is believed that there is now a co-ordinating body called the Patani United Liberation Organisation (Dewan Pembebasan Pattani or PULO), although little is known about the composition or leadership of the various groups.

In 1993 the 'New PULO', a dissident faction of the original PULO, was established by Arrong Moo-reng and Hayi Abdul Rohman Bazo. In 1995, Nasoree Saesang founded the GMIP.

In August 1996, 36 schools were torched in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat allegedly by members of the New PULO faction, > reportedly a dissident faction of the original PULO established by Arrong Moo-reng and Hayi Abdul Rohman Bazo. The Thai Interior Ministry and Thai Military Intelligence reported that New PULO used unemployed youth and young drug addicts to carry out its terrorist missions.

In 1997, members of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN), PULO and the New PULO established the United Mujahideen Front of Pattani to improve co-ordination between rebel factions.

In August 1997, Bersatu launched an operation codenamed "Falling Leaves". Between August 1997 and January 1998, 33 separate attacks took place resulting in 9 deaths.

In January 1998, Malaysia and Thailand launched a joint operation codenamed 'Pitak Tai' to crack down on insurgent outfits. Malaysian authorities arrested New PULO's leader,Abdul Rohman Bazo, its military chief, Haji Daoh Thanam, and Bazo's senior assistant, Haji Mae Yala in Kedah, as well as PULO's military commander, Haji Sama-ae Thanam, in Kuala Lumpur, later handing them to Thai authorities. The Thai government also encouraged local people to monitor the movements of drug traffickers and, as a result, the tough policy on drugs deprived PULO of recruits for its acts of terror.

1999–2002
Following the 11 September attacks in the United States, leaflets calling for Holy War and support for Osama bin Laden were distributed in Yala by militants.

On 24 December 2001, insurgents launched a number of attacks on police posts in the three provinces.5 police and one defence volunteer killed.

The Thai National Intelligence Agency had estimated that less than 1,000 armed militants were taking part in the conflict as of 2001.

According to Thai Ministry of Interior estimates 50 insurgency related incidents occurred in 2001.

By 2002, 75 insurgency-linked attacks amounted to 50 deaths among police and army personnel.

2003
In 2003, officials counted 149 incidents. The mounting scale and sophistication of the insurgency eventually prompted the government into a recognition that there was a serious issue in the southern provinces.

2004
A further steep escalation of the violence in the Southern Border Provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat is reckoned to have begun on 4 January 2004 with the raiding of a Thai Army depot.

On 4 January 2004, unidentified gunmen raided an army ammunition depot in Narathiwat Province in the early morning, and made off with over 400 rifles and other ammunition.

On 5 January 2004, 2 policemen were killed while attempting to defuse a bomb outside a shopping mall in Pattani.A third policeman was injured in bomb blast that occurred in a nearby park.Two more bombs were successfully defused in nearby areas.Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra declared martial law in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

On 22 January 2004, rebels killed a Buddhist monk.

On 28 March 2004, a bomb planted by insurgents injured 29 people, including 10 Malaysian tourists.

On 30 March 2004, masked men raided a quarry in the Yala district, stealing a total of 1.6 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, 56 sticks of dynamite, and 176 detonators.

On 23 April 2004, militants killed an army officer and set fire to 50 public buildings in all 13 districts of the Narathiwat province.

On 28 April 2004, militants launched a large scale string of attacks on armouries and army positions in Pattani, Yala, and Songkhla. 108 rebels were killed in the aftermath of the attacks.

On 10 June 2004, militants killed a night guard outside a government school and seized weapons from other security personnel who were inside.

On 25 October 2004, 78 people were killed by Thai police in the aftermath of a riot over the detentions of Muslims suspected of giving weapons to Islamic separatists. Over 1,300 people were detained in the incident.

On 28 October 2004, an IED detonated outside a bar, killing 2 people and injuring 21.

On 2 November 2004, a Buddhist official was beheaded by suspected Muslim insurgents.

On 4 November 2004, 9 people were killed including 2 policemen.

On 7 November 2004, the Defence Minister of Thailand said that there had been more than 700 casualties in south Thailand since the unrest began in January. Many murders involved shooting and decapitation. During 2004 insurgents began to sow fear in attacks where Buddhists were beheaded.

On 13 November 2004, 1 man was killed and at least 13 people injured when 5 bomb blasts occurred in various parts of the region.

On 5 December 2004, Thailand airdropped nearly 100 million origami cranes over the southern regions of the country in an effort to bring peace. Militants respond with series of bombings in the following day.

A total of 400 people were killed in over 1000 incidents during 2004.

2005
On 17 February 2005, a bomb exploded near a tourist hotel in the town of Sungai Kolok, killing 5 people and wounding over 40.Additionally 4 people killed in other incidents.

On 3 April 2005, a series of bomb attacks in Songkhla killed two people leaving 66 injured. The bombings marked the beginning of attacks against ethnic Thai Chinese owned businesses who were considered Thaksin supporters and against southern Thailand independence as a Muslim state.

On 14 July 2005, a major attack was launched on the provincial capital of Yala city. 60 militants targeted an area near a hotel, the railway station, two convenience stores and a restaurant roaming the streets using guns, fire-bombs and explosives.

On 18 July 2005, two militants entered a teashop, shot Lek Pongpla, a Buddhist cloth vendor, beheaded him and left the head outside of the shop.

On 19 July 2005, the Thai Prime Minister enacted the "emergency powers law" to manage the three troubled states giving himself sweeping powers to direct military operations, suspend civil liberties, and censor the press. Several human rights organisations and local press expressed their concerns that these new powers might be used to violate civil liberty rights. However, the emergency decree was highly popular, with 72% of Bangkok residents and 86% of people in the three southern provinces supporting it. Nevertheless the insurgency escalated further.

On 1 September 2005, three bombs exploded almost simultaneously. Subsequently, 131 civilians from the south fled to neighbouring Malaysia seeking refuge from the Thai authorities. Thailand immediately accused the refugees of being insurgents and demanded that they be returned, sparking a diplomatic spat. Currently, the people are still in Malaysia. Thailand, suspecting that insurgents may also have fled with the refugees, has asked Malaysia to return these Thai citizens but Malaysia has refused on humanitarian grounds.

On 16 October 2005, a group of 20 separatists attacked a Buddhist monastery, killing three people. An extended state of emergency was announced in the 3 southern provinces plagued by the insurgency.The announcement sparked a large scale guerrilla raid on 60 targets, in which at least 7 people were killed and 90 weapons were stolen.

On 16 November 2005, separatists killed 9 civilians and injured 9 others.

A total of 500 people were killed during 2005.

2006
A brief lull in the insurgency followed the 19 September 2006 coup that overthrew the government of Premier Thaksin Shinawatra. As Army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin settled into his role as head of the junta, violence resumed. , more than 1,400 people had died in less than three years of southern violence. Most were innocent bystanders, both Buddhists and Muslims.

On 7 January 2006, four suspected militants fatally shoot two border-policemen in the back at a crowded weekend market in Yala Province. (The Nation) Three others were also killed in separate attacks on the same day.

On 10 May 2006, a bomb exploded at a tea shop killing at least 3 people and injured more than a dozen.

On 15 June 2006, during the 60th anniversary of the accession of Bhumibol Adulyadej to the Thai throne, well coordinated bomb-attacks against at least 40 government and official buildings occurred. Two police officials died and 11 others were injured. Experts say that the bomb attacks were a message to the Thai authorities, rather than an attempt to do real damage, as the bombs were loaded with small amounts of explosives. Had the devices been larger, the casualties and injuries would have been notably greater. The Thai media was late in reporting the incident, only doing so after the BBC and other international news services had announced it.

On 18 June 2006, mass graves of about 300 migrant workers were found in southern Thailand.

On 27 June 2006, 7 people including 5 security personnel were killed by separatist attacks.

On 31 August 2006, 22 commercial banks were simultaneously bombed in Yala province, killing a retired military officer and wounding 24 people. Afterwards, Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin announced that he would break with government policy and negotiate with the leaders of the insurgency. However, he noted that "We still don't know who is the real head of the militants we are fighting with." In a press conference the next day, he slammed the government for political interference, and asked that the government "Free the military and let it do the job." By 16 September 2006, the Army admitted that it still wasn't sure who to negotiate with.

In September 2006, Army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin was granted an extraordinary increase in executive powers to combat the unrest.
 * 2006 Hat Yai bombings. On 16 September 2006, six remotely detonated motorcycle bombs simultaneously exploded in the city of Hat Yai, killing four people and wounding more than sixty. A Canadian and a Malaysian were among the dead.
 * On 21 September 2 villagers were shot in Yala, killing one and wounding another.
 * On 23 September 4 policemen were injured in a bus stop explosion in Pattani. The bus stop was on a road that would be passed by the motorcade of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn later that afternoon.
 * On 25 September 2 police stations and a military outpost were attacked by 30 gunmen in a coordinated series of attacks in Yala, leaving 2 dead and 1 injured.
 * On 27 September, gunmen killed a grocer and two of his customers in Muang district of Yala and a traveller on the bus from Panare district to Mayo district of Pattani.
 * On 28 September, a teacher protection unit in Sungai Padi district of Narathiwat province was ambushed by a bomb attack, seriously injuring 4 soldiers and killing one.
 * On 18 October 2006, suspected Muslim guerillas raided an army base, killing one soldier and wounding 4 others.
 * On 4 November, three schools burned to the ground and a person received a gunshot injury.
 * On 5 November 2006, a bomb blast killed 2 soldiers and injured 3 others.4 people were killed and 6 wounded in a series of shootings and bomb blasts.
 * On 9 November 8 car and motorcycle showrooms were simultaneously bombed in Yala, injuring 13. Almost all gold shops in Muang district closed down for fear of their safety. Commercial banks remained opened but with tightened security.

From January 2004 to October 2006, 1,815 people were killed and 2,729 were wounded in the insurgency. Despite the renewed violence, a post-coup opinion poll found that Southerners had become the happiest people of Thailand.

On 15 November 2006, militants shot dead 3 people in separate drive-by shootings, one soldier was also wounded in a bomb blast.

On 17 November 2006, 3 bomb explosions killed one person and wounded at least 30 others.

On 22 November 2006, Wan Kadir Che Wan, leader of Bersatu, one of the southern insurgent groups, told Al Jazeera television that the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network was helping local insurgents stage attacks in Thailand.

On 27 November 2006, after all schools in Pattani announced indefinite shutdown, teachers in Yala and Narathiwat decided to follow suit and close down the schools in the two provinces indefinitely due to fear for safety. The decision in Pattani was made after a series of arson attacks against schools and the brutal and fatal shooting of 2 schoolteachers. In Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat provinces over 1,000 schools were shut down.

On 9 December 2006, a police informant was killed in a drive-by shooting.

Despite the closing of the schools protest, on 29 December 2006 two more teachers were shot and burned to death.

On 31 December 2006, 9 bomb blasts occurred Bangkok on New Year's Eve, killing 3 people and injuring 38.New Year's Eve celebrations were cancelled as result.

2007
Despite conciliatory gestures from the junta, the insurgency continued and intensified. The death toll, 1,400 at the time of the coup, increased to 2,579 by mid-September 2007. From January 2004 to 21 June 2007, the South witnessed 6,850 violent incidents related to the insurgency. At least 2,303 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured in that time, according to Srisompob Jitpiromsri of Prince of Songkhla University's Pattani campus.

Junta chairman Sonthi Boonyaratglin announced that the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and the Civilian-Police-Military Task Force (CPM) 43 would be revived. Sonthi said the Army-led multi-agency Southern Border Provinces Peace Building Command would be dissolved and its troops would come under the CPM 43, which would operate in parallel with the SBPAC. The SBPAC and CPM 43 had been dissolved in mid-2001 by former Premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Before that, CPM 43 was under the directive of the SBPAC. Sonthi also made himself head of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC). Previously, the ISOC had been headed by the Prime Minister.

The ISOC was given 5.9 billion baht in funding for fiscal year 2007. By May 2007, General Sonthi asked the government for an additional emergency budget of 2 billion baht for ISOC, as the normal budget was running out. The money was under the "secret budget" category, which meant that state officials could spend it without having to account for it to the government.

On 14 January a rubber tapper named Pin Khotchathin was beheaded in Yala. His head was found at a rubber plantation in Tambon Tasae in Yala's Mueang district five metres from his body. It was the 22nd murder to feature attempted beheading since May 2004, although the militants were not always successful in removing their victim's head. A handwritten note was left near Pin's head warning of further bloodshed to avenge what the attackers, calling themselves Pattani Warriors, claimed was a case of authorities killing separatist members.

Facing rising violence, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont accused Muslim junta chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin of failing to do enough to curb the insurgency.

On 18 February a series of bombings and arson attacks began in Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani, and Songkhla provinces. 6 people were killed and over 50 were injured.

Violence escalated though in the months following the implementation of the junta's "hearts and minds" campaign. The monthly death toll increased by 30% in the 5 months after the coup compared to the 5 months before the coup. Insurgents targeted Princess Sirindhorn by placing a bomb near her helicopter’s landing pad. A senior aide to Queen Sirikit, Thanpuying Viriya Chavakul, was injured and narrowly escaped death when gunmen attacked her vehicle convoy on 21 February 2007 in Yala. She later criticised the government for rotating troops too often, preventing them from building bonds with locals. She also made note of troops' lack of communications equipment and bulletproof vests.

After an official visit to Thailand, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi volunteered to act as a mediator in arranging talks between insurgents and Thai authorities. Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram rejected the offer.

During the Chinese New Year weekend (from the evening of 18 February 2007 to the afternoon of 19 February 2007), insurgents executed 38 bombing attacks, 26 cases of arson, and seven ambushes. The bombings targeted hotels, karaoke bars, power grids and commercial sites. Two public schools were torched. Three people were arrested. Junta chief Sonthi and Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya admitted that they knew in advance that attacks were going to take place, then failed to their occurrence. Aree later admitted that the government's southern strategy was flawed.

On 21 February, in their most significant act of economic terrorism and arson to date, insurgents burned down the Southland Rubber warehouse in Yala, destroying 5,000 tons of rubber worth approximately 400 million baht and engulfing Yala city in a dense cloud of black smoke for 12 hours. Thirty fire trucks fought to control the flames in the largest rubber warehouse in the deep south. Spikes were scattered on the road leading to the warehouse to slow down the emergency workers. No casualties were reported.

In March 2007, the junta's top security advisor admitted that insurgents imported their techniques from Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and were motivated by not only by nationalist reasons, like previous generations of insurgents, but religious extremism as well. However, it noted that it still did not know who was behind the insurgency.

To protect the Buddhist minority from violence, the Internal Security Operations Command produced Jatukham Rammathep amulets for public distribution. The renowned animist amulets were believed by some to have magical powers to protect their holders from violence and large sums were generally paid for them. The plan was developed by Colonel Manas Khongpan, deputy director of the ISOC in Yala province.

In March 2007, Queen Sirikit vowed to protect people of all religions in the South, and initiated weapons training programmes for locals, particularly teachers. Sirikit's deputy aide-de-camp Napol Boonthap said that the government should review its strategy and not only use a reconciliatory approach towards the insurgents. "Legal action must also be taken against the wrongdoers to show we mean business," he said.

On 14 March 8 commuters from Betong to Hat Yai were executed after their van was stopped by insurgents. A roadside bomb delayed rangers stationed nearby in their efforts to reach the site. A Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO) executive blamed a portion of the violence directly on paramilitary rangers who instigated violence and then blamed insurgents for their deeds.

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn's motorcade was against targeted with a bombing in March 2007. A local police team found the bomb before it could explode.

In April 2007, junta chief Sonthi rejected an American offer to help train Thai forces to quell the insurgency. Sonthi continued to deny that international terrorists operate in the South.

On 9 April 2007, a pick-up truck carrying students and other passengers returning from a funeral was shot upon, killing two 12-year-old boys and two other 25-year-old university students. The funeral was for the Khuen Bang Lang tambon administration organisation chief, who was shot dead hours earlier the same day. The military initially claimed that insurgents were behind the shooting. It later admitted that village defence volunteers attacked, after allegedly being "provoked" by insurgent sympathisers on the truck. Several hundred angry villagers staged protests against the shooting, demanding the government take action against those responsible.

Protest after a misapprehending shooting by security forces, Thai soldiers in Pattani shot and killed three Muslim teenagers on 13 April 2007. The soldiers, who were dispatched to investigate the torching of four mobile-phone relay outlets, opened fire on a group of teenagers when the soldiers thought the teenagers were charging at them. Locals reported that the teenagers were playing tag on the road near a weekly open market close to where the soldiers were investigating. Three teenagers, aged 13 to 15 years-old, were killed and two others were injured. Local Army commander Colonel Wanchai Paungkhumsa initially said the soldiers had acted in self-defense, saying that gunshots were fired from where a teenager was standing. Residents ended their protest after reaching a series of agreements with Pattani Governor Panu Uthairath over the shooting. The military agreed to investigate the shootings, and if it was a negligent act, The soldier would be faced criminal charge, transferred out of the area and an apology would be given to locals.

In May 2007, Sonthi started withdrawing troops from the South, replacing them with territorial defence volunteers. He did not say why the regular army was to be reduced in the South.

On 14 May 2007, Separatist insurgents shot dead a Thai-Buddhist couple working as fruit pickers in the majority-Muslim area of Bannang Sata, Yala provine and injured their three-year-old daughter. After gunning down Praphan Ponlarak, 36, and his wife Chaddakan, the assailants decapitated Praphan, making him the 29th victim to be beheaded in Thailand's troubled deep South.

Violence continued with a noted trend towards targeting soldiers and policemen, particularly after the militants' actions were criticised by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. On 9 May 2007, the army saw its worse casualty in a single incident in years, when seven soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing incident. Two policemen were shot dead and their bodies burnt in another attack on 11 May 2007, which the authorities suspect were conducted by the same group which killed the soldiers. Another 11 soldiers were killed on 31 May 2007 in similar style to the incident on 9 May.

Between 27 May and 29 May 2007, several concerted bombings occurred, both in Hat Yai downtown in front of markets, shops and hotels, and also in Saba Yoi, altogether killing more than four people and injuring over 20. The attacks targeted Chinese-Thai, who consider them 'Jews of the Far East' because they are barred from the Thai civil service and are mainly traders.

In July 2007, Former Fourth Army chief Harn Leelanont criticised the junta's reconciliation policy in the South, saying it left security personnel incapable of containing the violence. He claimed that it left officials and innocent people as sitting ducks to be picked off by militants.

The military junta went on a massive spending spree, buying new weaponry and a dozen fighter jets from Sweden, saying it needed the hardware to battle the insurgency.

2008
According to the Thai Journalists Association, during the year 2008 alone there were over 500 attacks, resulting in more than 300 deaths in the four provinces where the insurgents operate.

On 14 January 2008, insurgents killed 9 soldiers in a bomb and shooting attack.

On 15 January 2008, a bombing left at least 39 people wounded in a market in Yala.

On 24 January 2008, militants fatally shot a teacher.

On 4 February 2008, a bomb detonated outside an Islamic boarding school, one person was killed and 12 wounded. A second bombing wounded 6 people.

On 15 March 2008, a bombing occurred in the parking lot of hotel, 2 people were killed and 14 wounded in the incident.

On 28 May 2008, 3 soldiers and 4 rebels were killed in a series of incidents across the south.

On 5 July 2008, insurgents killed 3 cafe customers and injured 4 others.

On 3 August 2008, five bombs went off in the town of Songkhla injuring 2 people. The same night, two bombs also exploded in Hat Yai, but caused no casualties.

On 17 October 2008, 1 militant was killed and 5 others arrested.

On 18 October 2008, two people were killed in drive-by shootings.

On 4 November 2008, two bombs exploded at a tea stall killing one person and wounded at least 71.

On 5 December 2008, 4 people were killed by a bomb planted at a farmacy store.

2009
On 31 January 2009, a grenade blast killed 8 people and injured 27 others during outside a Buddhist temple.

On 20 February 2009, two Thai soldiers were beheaded after a military convoy was ambushed. It was the second attack in in the same month following the same pattern.

On 13 March 2009, militants killed 3 soldiers during an ambush in the Narathiwat province.

On 19 March 2009, a roadside bomb killed 4 army rangers in the Pattani province.

On 7 June 2009, insurgents killed 2 and injured 19 others in the Yi-ngo district of Narathiwat.

On 8 June 2009, rebel gunmen killed at least 10 and wounded 19 mosque visitors in Narathiwat Province's Hoh-I-Rong district.

On 13 June 2009, insurgents bombed a bus, killing 1 passenger and wounding 13 others in the center of Yala city.Additionally three people were killed and 1 wounded drive by incidents.

On 18 June 2009, security forces killed 4 militants during clashes in the Yala Province.

On 19 July 2009, two people were killed in separate drive by shootings in the Yala and Narathiwat provinces.

On 20 July 2009, rebels shot and killed a man in the Pattani province.

On 26 August 2009, a car bomb blast outside a restaurant wounded 26 people.

On 2 September 2009, a number of drive-by shootings occurred in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala left 8 dead. Security forces killed 2 militants in separate raids in the Yala province.

On 3 September 2009, a bomb exploded in the city of Pattani killed 1 man and wounded 24 others.

On 4 September 2009, a bomb detonated outside a restaurant, killing a policeman and wounding 12 other people.

On 13 September 2009, guerrillas killed 5 paramilitary troops in the Yala province.

On 23 October 2009, a Muslim man was killed by gunmen while leaving a mosque after prayers in Yala province. Also in Yala a Muslim couple was shot in their home and the husband was killed. On the same day the body of a Muslim man killed by insurgents was dumped on the side of the road in the Yarang district of Pattani province.

On 28 October 2009, guerrillas killed 2 civilians in separate drive-by attacks.

On 1 November 2009, a teenage girl was shot and killed in Yala province. A bomb exploded at the scene after the murder, wounding three police officers. The same day the police found the body of a man that had been handcuffed and murdered at a rice farm in the area.

On 12 November 2009, a Buddhist couple was shot and killed and five people were wounded in an explosion when they rushed to the scene following the murder that took place at a rice mill in Pattani province.

On 8 December 2009, a bomb exploded at a local Thai market in the Muang District of Narathiwat province, killing two people and wounding nine others. The blast happened about 1 km from a hotel where Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his visiting Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak were having lunch during a trip to the local region that same day. Sources say the bomb was hidden in the gas tank of a motorcycle.

On 10 December 2009, three Buddhist women were killed by a remote-controlled bomb outside a restaurant in Narathiwat.

2010
On 2 January 2010, three soldiers and 3 civilians were injured by roadside bombs in Yala at 10 am in Bannang Sata district, Yala province.

On 13 January 2010, Mayo district chief Wirat Prasetto was seriously injured along with ten other civilians when a bomb detonated at a pier in Pattani province. The bombing is being blamed on Muslim insurgents. One person was killed in the explosion.

Two villagers sitting at a tea shop in Narathiwat were shot and murdered by gunmen on motorcycles.

On 1 April 2010, suspect insurgents shot dead six villagers in Narathiwat province. Ten policemen and soldiers were also wounded when a roadside bomb exploded as they were travelling to the scene of the shootings.

On 22 May 2010, two female villagers were killed in a drive-by shooting in Yala province by suspected separatist militants. On 28 May 2010, two were killed and 52 injured in two bomb attacks in Yala

On 8 September 2010, police apprehended a RKK leader while he was in his house in Yala province

2011
On 27 January 2011, insurgents killed a school teacher in the Pattani province.

On 11 February 2011, three people were shot and burned. A car bomb exploded on the 13th which injured 18 people, civilians and soldiers, leaving seven hospitalised. Meanwhile, an insurgent was shot dead by soldiers.

On 22 March 2011, a man and two women were shot in a village of Narathiwat Province on evening by about a dozen armed men. Police suspect the gunmen were Muslim insurgents who believed their victims were informants.

On 23 March 2011, a roadside bomb went off in a village in Narathiwat when a truck carrying police arrived. None were wounded. The killings the night before may have been intended to lure security personnel to the scene to be attacked.

On 18 April 2011, a car bomb exploded in the business district of Yala, killing a Thai paramilitary ranger and injuring 23 people including four other rangers.

On 3 May 2011, two grenades were fired at Pattani Task Force 21 base, but did not hurt anyone.

On 11 May 2011, a bomb blast during a football match in Kapho District in Pattani Province killed four officers and wounding 13 others. Eight suspects were detained. In Yala Province, two officers and two civilians were injured after a roadside bomb detonated in Meung District.

On 14 May 2011, four insurgents came and demanded money from a gas station. The wife of the owner refused, resulting them shooting her and her sister. After that, the owner of the gas station came and shot dead one of the insurgents, causing the other three to retreat. The dead insurgent turned out to be a minor leader operating in the area who was wanted for the 2009 Narathiwat bombings.

On 17 May 2011, a roadside bomb detonated in Yaha District in Yala Province, killing two monks and seriously wounding two of their security escorts. More than 100 local Muslims gathered at the local mosque and condemned the violence. On 18 May, a Thahan Phran from the 47th Regiment was shot and seriously wounded in Yala, Meung District

On 20 May 2011, a 30-man Thahan Phran unit from the same Regiment engaged and killed four insurgents in Ban Charupae in Than To District in Yala. They seized two AK-47 assault rifles, a .38 calibre pistol and nine mobile phones. One of the dead was identified as Ma-ae Aphibalbae, a key leader operating in the area who was sought for at least 28 alleged crimes, with a bounty of 2,000,000 baht. Meanwhile in Narathiwat Province, two carbombs exploded, injuring a policeman and 8 other civilians.

On 22 May 2011, in Nong Chik District, Pattani province, suspected insurgents shot a couple, Mr Pong and Mrs Somchit Khunee-art, killing both of them.

On 24 May 2011, in Tak Bai, Narathiwat province, a bomb detonated, killing a policeman and a policewoman while they were distributing food to the local community. Pol Sgt Ubonwan Chindapetch was the first policewoman to die in an explosion in the south. Meanwhile, in Sai Buri district, Pattani province, an unknown number of gunmen came and shot Muhammat Stapo, the younger brother of Ismael Rayahlong, a major RKK leader operating in the area who was suspected of the killing of two monks on 17 May. In Krong Pinang District, Yala province, insurgents shot dead Barudin Sama, assistant village head of Ban Tohbala as he was riding to the tea shop.

On 25 May 2011, 12 soldiers from the 13 Regiment in Yala were ambushed by three insurgents, resulting the death of one soldier, private Chuchat Kaeowonghio. A few hours later, a bomb detonated under a humvee carrying 20 soldiers, seriously wounding 6 of them.

On 27 May 2011, police apprehended two RKK leaders in Narathiwat province.

On 30 May 2011, a bomb went off in Meung district, Yala province, wounding five soldiers, and on 31 May, two insurgents accidentally detonated a bomb, killing themselves and injuring one other insurgent in Narathiwat province. One of the dead was identified as Abas Abu, wanted on multiple charges of attacking state officials and multiple bombings. His brother was the insurgent shot dead in February 2011.

On 2 June 2011, eight Navy SEALS from Narathiwat Task Force 32 clashed with five RKK insurgents in the Budo Mountain Range, resulting the death of three insurgents while the other two got away. They seized two M16 assault rifles, 1 .38 pistol, 1 land mine, 1 grenade and over 100 rounds of ammunition. Two of the dead insurgents were identified as senior recruitment members of the RKK while the third was identified as the bomb maker of the group.

On 4 June 2011, soldiers located two unexploded bombs in the middle of Tak Bai market.

On 25 July 2011, 5 teachers and 2 security volunteers were wounded in the aftermath of an IED explosion in the Muang district.

On 1 August 2011, a roadside bomb killed 1 and injured 2 soldiers in the Yarang District.

In August 2011, 53 people were killed and 75 wounded, in insurgency related incidents.

On 13 September 2011, Thai police confiscated five guns, ammunition and sums of currency in a house of a Narathiwat provincial administrative organisation.Evidence connected the house owner with insurgency organisations.

On 14 September 2011, insurgents fire bombed the Palukasamoh Police Station complex, the almost complete building was completely destroyed.

On 15 September 2011, five paramilitary rangers were killed and one wounded in a roadside bomb blast, in the Kapho district

On 16 September 2011, three bombs exploded on the Charoen Khet road, Sungai Kolok district.In the aftermath of the incident, 4 people were killed and 110 injured, the majority of which were Malaysian tourists.

On 23 September 2011, a bomb blast seriously wounded a soldier, guarding a school in the Rangae district.

On 1 October 2011, a truck driver was shot and killed in Pattani province. In Narathiwat province, Chanae district, a village chief was shot dead. A motorcade of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre secretary-general Panu Uthairat was ambushed by armed men in Pattani, injuring none.

On 3 October 2011, three people were shot, two houses were burnt, and a bomb went off near a tank carrying six soldiers in Pattani province. Police found a hole dug on the Pattani-Yala railway line and said it was in preparation for a bomb attack. On 20 October, a wood trader was shot dead in Narathiwat Province

On 13 October 2011, a Mayo district official along with his driver were killed, after four insurgents attacked them with automatic weapons, in the Pattani province.One person was killed and one injured by stray bullets in the same incident.Another attack occurred in the Panareh district.Four gunmen attacked a seafood processing business, killing three people and planting a bomb, which was later defused by Thai police.

On 23 October 2011, a bomb exploded inside a convenience store, located on the Phichit Bamrung road, Muang Narathiwat municipality.A second bomb detonated inside a convenience store, located on the Chamroon Nara road, Muang Narathiwat municipality.In a third incident, 10 militants engaged in a firefight with defence volunteers, in the Kasoh village, Muang Narathiwat municipality.A total of 7 people were killed and 8 injured, in the three incidents.

On 25 October 2011, 10 bombs went off in Meung District, Yala province, killing three people and injuring 44 others. Two of the dead were insurgents whose bombs accidentally went off when they hit a speed hump. Soldiers defused another 21 bombs. Over 60 insurgents were involved in this attack. Two soldiers were injured in separate attacks in Pattani province.

On 30 October 2011, two men were shot and injured by suspected insurgents in Rueso district, Narathiwat province.

On 31 October 2011, 10 bombs went off in five districts across Narathiwat province, injuring none. However, suspected insurgents shot dead two people at a petrol station and a third at a nearby grocery shop. In Yala province, a police corporal was wounded in an explosion.

On 2 November 2011, in Yala province, a 20 kg bomb went off, injuring 2 police border patrol officers of the Yala 44 regiment, and seriously injuring one other, Sansern Nama.

On 3 November 2011, in Narathiwat province, a 50-man police-military joint force arrested an insurgent who confessed to planting a bomb in Narathiwat on 30 October. While in the Ra-ngae district, six hunters were killed and one seriously injured when insurgents blew their truck up. Later that day, six military personnel were injured in the same region.

On 4 November 2011, an unknown number of insurgents fired M-79 grenade launchers into a military checkpoint, seriously injuring a passerby, Tiem Bangkeaw in Pattani province. In Narathiwat province, a joint military-defense volunteer task force apprehended two suspected insurgents carrying a shotgun and a 9mm pistol.

On 14 November 2011, a rubber taper was killed by rebels at his workplace, in the Narathiwat province.

On 16 November 2011, 9 bombs exploded in the Muang, Yaring and Yarang districts.In the Nong Chik district, a military outpost came under assault rifle fire.In the Panare district, rebels perpetrated 3 grenade attacks.In the aftermath of the attacks, only minor material damage was recorded.

On 20 November 2011, in Narathiwat province, a 50-men Thahan Phran squad from the 46th regiment got into a 30-minute gunfight with 4–5 groups of RKK insurgents, resulting the death of a key leader of the RKK, with a bounty of over 1 million baht, and was responsible for numerous attacks including one on the same regiment a year ago. Moreover, they apprehended 2 other insurgents as well.

On 21 November 2011, an explosive device detonated outside a laundry shop located on the Charoen Pradit road, Pattani, injuring 9 people.Another bomb injured 6 policemen escorting monks in the Muang district.Insurgents blew up power poles in the Than To district.

On 1 December 2011, a police task-force apprehended a RKK insurgent instructor in the Yarang district of the Yala province. Meanwhile, a soldier, Private Kriangkrai Pornhormfai, was killed after stepping on a mine, and another, Siam Sealao, was seriously wounded.

On 5 December 2011, a 40-man Thahan Phran unit of the 45th regiment apprehended 3 suspected insurgents, a shotgun along with an amount of drugs were confiscated in the process, the arrest occurred in the Narathiwat province

2012
On 1 February, a Thahan Phran, Thanong Sinthu, was shot in Pattani Province.

On 3 February, an illegal oil trader was shot in Bacho District, Narathiwat Province. In a separate incident in Pattani Province a woman was killed and her husband and son were injured. Deep South Watch announced 33 dead and 55 injured in January as a result of clashes in south Thailand, with no insurgent casualties.

On 4 February, a truck driver, Mahama Yakee, was shot in Pattani Province early in the morning.

On 21 February, in Panare District, Pattani Province, 3 insurgents were killed after they clashed with the 44th regiment Thahan Phran, while 3 rangers were injured and 2 AK-47 rifles were seized. In Rueso District, Narathiwat Province, a former PULO leader was shot dead at his home. He has been known to have been approached by many RKK members to join their cause but he refused. Finally, in Si Sakhon District, Narathiwat Province, a 100-man Thahan Phran from the 46th regiment clashed with around 10 insurgents resulting one ranger, Sgt Rithidej Sriruangdej, seriously wounded, and key insurgent, wanted for many arrest warrants, killed.

On 28 February, in Raman District, Yala Province, soldiers from the 12th special task force clashed with 3 insurgents, resulting the death of a key insurgent wanted on multiple charges and the apprehension of another insurgent.

On 5 March, a blast at a market in the Tak Bai District wounded 8.

On 7 March 4 soldiers and a rubber tapper were killed in two separate attacks in Narathiwat and Pattani Provinces. Two days later at least 50 militants attacked an army base in Yala Province, shooting electricity poles down to block escape routes, kidnapping 2 soldiers and injuring 12 more. The missing officers were later discovered shot to death with their hands bound and their weapons gone.

On 10 March, a local politician was shot dead with a M-16 assault rifle and 9mm pistol in Pattani's Ka Por District by a group of four or five assailants in a sedan.

On 12 March, two soldiers were wounded by a bomb explosion while providing security for teachers in Pattani's Sai Buri District. Meanwhile, in Yarang District, an unknown number of persons set afire the office of the Rawaeng subdistrict Tambon Administration Organisation.

On 15 March, a motorcycle bomb exploded in Pattani, killing one villager and wounding three others including two soldiers.

On 17 March, one school girl was killed and four others injured, two critically, in a roadside bomb attack apparently intended for soldiers in Pattani.

On 19 March, a member of a village security team was shot dead in Pattani's Yaring District.

On 21 March, Thai army has accepted responsibility for killing four innocent civilians in the insurgency-plagued south two months ago.

On 25 March, an assistant village head in Narathiwat and a defence volunteer in Pattani were killed in drive-by shooting's. At night, a policeman was shot dead by militants in Pattani's Yarang District.

On 29 March, a security guard was killed in a drive-by shooting's in Pattani’s Muang District.

On 31 March four bombs exploded in Yala shopping districts and the parking lot of a hotel in Hat Yai, killing 16 and injuring more than 300 others.

On 3 April, a police officer from the Muang Pattani police station was seriously wounded by a gunman at a fishing pier in moo 6 of tambon Samilae in Pattani’s Muang District.

On 4 April, two men on a motorcycle hurled a grenade at a PTT gas station at Ban Pongsata in Pattani's Yarang District.

On 5 April, a car care shop owner was killed and his son seriously injured in a shooting in Pattani's Yaring District.

On 11 April, three villagers were killed when gunmen opened fire at them as they were leaving a mosque in Pattani's Panare District.

On 13 April, five passengers were wounded when gunmen on motorcycles attacked a bus in Pattani's Sai Buri District.

On 15 April, police seized large amounts of weapons including 4 M16 assault rifles in Sai Buri District, Pattani Province.

On 19 April, a 100-man squad clashed with a 14 insurgents in Yala Province, resulting the death of 5 insurgents and the others managed to escape. After some forensic work, it was revealed that one of the dead insurgents was a key leader wanted on over 7 charges. Meanwhile in Narathiwat Province, a 30-man Thahan Phran unit from the 45th regiment apprehended 2 RKK members wanted on shooting 2 teachers in 2010. On a separate incident, a bomb detonated, injuring 5 soldiers in the same province.

On 22 April, an insurgent was shot dead by combined police Thahan Phran forces after resisting arrest in Rueso District, Narathiwat Province.

On 24 April village chief Sainung Ada was shot dead in Narathiwat Province. In Tak Bai District, a bomb detonated injuring 3 civilians and 5 soldiers. A 5-year old boy was among the injured.

On 23 July, a rubber tapper, Prinya Sinbut, was shot twice in the body and once in the arm, and is seriously wounded in Mae Lan District, Pattani Province.

On 25 July, after a warning that insurgents will intensify attacks during Ramadan, 5 anti-drug officers were killed and one seriously injured in a car bomb in Raman District. Authorities believe was in retaliation for recent drug suspect arrests.

On 26 July 2 men, Seng Changkid, and Kittisak Chamnanlee were slain after they left their house in Bannang Sata District and an assistant village headman, Haree Vaebuesar, was shot dead in an ambush in Raman District. All three events occurred in Yala Province.

On 28 July, four soldiers were killed in an ambush by 16 militants.

On 29 July 5 other civilians, all around Yala Province, were shot dead by insurgents. In addition to this, 4 soldiers were wounded in an attack in the same province.

On 11 September, over 100 insurgents including a major leader, Jae A-Lee, from the group Badan Penyelarasan Wawasan Baru Melayu Patani, surrendered to military authorities, demanding justice in exchange for halting the insurgency. Jae A-Lee also claimed that two other core leaders are in the process of submitting to the military. Jae A-Lee's one million baht bounty, as a result of the deaths of 4 soldiers in 4 January, has also been whitewashed.

2013
According to the region's Internal Security Operations Command, there were 320 bombings in the four border provinces between January and December 2013, compared with 276 reported bombings in 2012. Experts alleged that the rise in deaths was linked to the stalling of peace talks while Yingluck Shinawatra's government faced anti-government protests in Bangkok and court proceedings against it over corruption.

On 10 February, insurgents killed five soldiers and wounded five others in two roadside bomb attacks in Yala province. According to Thai military officials, in the first attack militants detonated a car bomb as a truck carrying six soldiers passed by. Then they opened fire on the soldiers killing five of them, and taking away the dead soldiers' rifles.

On 13 February, at least 17 Muslim insurgents including a commander were killed during an attack on a military base in Narathiwat. None of the Thai military defenders of the base were hurt.

On 12 April, two soldiers were killed and six others wounded in a road side bombing. Suspected militants detonated an improvised bomb hidden on the road surface Pattani province's Panarae district. The soldiers were in two armoured vehicles travelling Wednesday night to inspect damages from an earlier militant attack. One of the personnel carriers was badly damaged.

On 26 April, four soldiers were killed and another four seriously injured while attempting to defuse a bomb. According to Thai authorities, the blast happened after troops moved the device which was hidden under a gas tank and placed under a bridge near the Narathiwat military base.

On 1 May, police say suspected insurgents have killed six people including a two-year-old boy in one of the deadliest shootings in Thailand's south this year. Peace talks were also started in Kuala Lumpur in February at the behest of Malaysia. Barisan Revolusi Nasional's Hassan Taib led the talks, while the Thai government's team was led by Secretary-General of the National Security Council Lieutenant General Paradon Pattanatabut, tasked by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. However, the exiled leader of the Pattani United Liberation Organisation, Kasturi Mahkota, said attacks by his group would continue if they were not invited to the talks. For his part, Pattanatabut said that Thailand would not agree to independence or any contravention of the constitution of Thailand, but would seek to discuss degress of autonomy and an amnesty with the rebels.

2014
9 February, A policeman's wife was shot dead and then set on fire in front of a terrified crowd at a busy market in Pattani, Thailand, officials reported. The woman, 28, was shot down on the afternoon of 9 February 2014 as she returned to her car from a market in the Ratapanyang area of Pattani province. After being shot, the woman's body was set alight, a police officer told AFP. The attack was allegedly carried out in revenge for the deaths of three Muslim brothers that took place during the week of 2 February 2014, aged three, five and nine. The boys were shot in front of their home in neighbouring Narathiwat province. Their pregnant mother and father were also shot in the attack but survived. Srisompob Jitpiromsri, at Prince of Songkla University in Pattani, said the boys' deaths "have set off a chain-reaction which will be hard to control unless authorities can bring to justice their killers". "The insurgent movement is taking their deaths as an opportunity for revenge. Local feelings over this are running very high," he said.

14 March: Siriporn Srichai, a female schoolteacher, was shot dead and her body was burned in Mayo district of Pattani Province.

24 May: Three people were killed and about 80 injured in 13 bomb blasts at at least five 7/11 stores and two gas stations.

28 May: Violence continued in Pattani as a bomb blast at a hospital car park injured 10 people including a soldier. Those injured included Pvt Phonlawat Nonthasen. The most seriously wounded in attacks that have left two dead and more than 70 wounded was a three-year-old girl, Vaesiteeaija Vaelong maimed for life when doctors had to amputate the remains of her right leg after it was mangled by the blast.

28 August: Patimoh Saemaesae, a female schoolteacher, was killed and another teacher and a policeman were wounded in a bomb attack directed at the teachers and their police escort in Khok Pho District of Pattani Province.

5 Sep: It has come to light that a paramilitary volunteer's attempt to portray an unarmed 14 year old Muslim boy falsely as an armed insurgent after killing him has come under investigation by the junta.

12 October: A total of six schools were destroyed by fire in six coordinated arson attacks in Thung Yang Daeng and Mayo districts of Pattani Province; some of the arsonists were subsequently arrested and confessed that their intention had been to set fire to 14 schools, but residents had managed to contact the authorities before they could carry out more arson attacks.

4 November: The military decides to arm civilian groups by distributing thousands of assault rifles allegedly to help civilians to fight against the public order disturbing outfits. Human rights groups have protested against this measure, which in their eyes will only make the situation worse.

29 November: Katesaya Muenkoto, a 29 year old woman died of bullet wounds in Khok Pho district in Pattani Province. She and a man were shot at while they were buying pork meat from a shop in the early morning. The attacker was driving a motorcycle and shot at them six times, hitting the woman in the head and the man in the back.

2015
On 9 January 2015, 3 insurgents were slain and and 2 others detained, as security forces raided a religious school in Mayo district.

On 31 January 2015, a militant ambush conducted on the Pattani-Hat Yai road resulted in the death of a senior police officer, 3 policemen were also wounded.

19 February: A series of car and motorcycle bombs explode in Narathiwat town. 13 people were wounded and at least 20 buildings were damaged. One of the string of bombs planted failed to explode.

On 1 March 2015, a large scale security operation took place in the districts of Pak Phanang, Cha-uat, Thung Song, Chian Yai, Nop Phitam, Tha Sala, Phipun, Muang, Ron Phibun and Chulabhorn. Resulted in the seizure of 35 weapons, 1,041 rounds of ammunition and 265 methemphatamine pills.

On 2 March 2015, a military spokesman stated that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armies will begin withdrawing from the Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat provinces in April. Move came as part of the ongoing peace negotiations between the rebels and the government.