The shooting at the Al-Furquan mosque in Narathiwat’s Joi Airong district on June 8, 2009 was another startling incident to rock the southern border provinces of Thailand. Since the beginning of June, there has been a considerable increase in violent incidents across the region. Several teachers have been killed, and there have been many other coordinated attacks, including a car bomb detonated in the center of Yi Ngo town in Narathiwat province. The spike in violence has recaptured the attention of the media and national-level policy makers. Both had largely been distracted from the deteriorating situation in the south by the on-going political turmoil in Bangkok.

The recent upsurge of violence has demonstrated that the enhancement of security forces in the region has clearly not mitigated the problem of unrest. In spite of some government claims that the situation had been improving, a rise in violent incidents this year – most particularly since the beginning of June — suggest otherwise.

The obstacles that Thai authorities confront in dealing with the situation are reflected in villagers’ reaction to the Al-Furquan mosque attack. Many immediately questioned the cause of this tragic incident.

Najmuddin Umar, a member of parliament with the Pheua Thai party, has also questioned the reason behind this incident. Najmuddin elaborated on this incident as well as why there has been a marked escalation of violence in June.

Even though he admitted that several incidents, including incidents in Yala and even the car bombing in Narathiwat, had been the work of insurgent groups, the people responsible for the Al-Furquan mosque incident is not known.

“The officials must provide answers to villagers”- Najmuddin Umar, politician from Narathiwat

For Najamuddin, this tragic incident seems to be strikingly similar to another incident that took place in Yala a few years ago when there was a case of violent retaliation and the authorities were unable to come up with a clear explanation for who was responsible for the attack.

He also said that while people in the region would like to see the perpetrators of the mosque attack brought to justice, they also want the government to concentrate on resolving the conflict through political means. Najamuddin has thus not only called on the government to discover the truth behind the mosque incident, but he has also suggested that the government introduce a new administrative apparatus for the region at the next parliamentary meetings. According to him, this could mitigate the problem of unrest.

Najamuddin’s suggestion is an important one. Even though more should be learned about the feelings of locals, who must deal with this messy conflict on a daily basis, the recent escalation of violence clearly indicates that the conflict has not been solved by military means. The government must take the initiative to improve it, and the introduction of a new form of special administration for the region may be an important step in this direction.

Professor Srisompob Jitpiromsri, Director of the Prince of Songkla University’s recently established Center for the Study of Conflict and Cultural Diversity (CSCC), gave further insight into the recent escalation of violent incidents. Srisompob said that analysis of the frequency and intensity of incidents over the course of 2009 indicates that violence has definitely spiked upward. Moreover, although the number of incidents is not as high as the first few years of the violence, Srisompob noted that violence continues on in a similar manner.

Srisompob observed that prior to March of 2009, the number of violent incidents was lower than 100 per month. Since March, however, incidents have jumped to more than 100 per month. The statistics also show that June has been the most violent month for each year of this current wave of conflict that began in 2004