Deep South
Due to the closure of religious holidays and since the resumption of the peace dialogue in August between the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) as biggest separatist Muslim movement group in the South, violence is on the decline in the three provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
In the month of September nine people were killed and another nine persons were injured by attacks. The primary targets belong to the local government administration.
The graph above suggests that bombs are the main reason for a high number of wounded people, but that gunshot injuries cause the greatest number of deaths.
The charts below depict the attacks which have occurred over the year in the four provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and Songkhla. It indicates the frequency of attacks in the different districts of the provinces, and displays the most dangerous regions from January to October 2014.
In Songkhla, the last attack relating to the conflict in the Deep South was reported in June.
The most dangerous province in Thailand is Pattani, with the most attacks, and subsequently the most injured and killed people.
The peace talks had already begun in August, but Prime Minister Prayuth has forecasted an end to the violence in the Deep South within one year before Thailand joins the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 (AEC). Goals of the negotiations are long-term peace in the three provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat between the Thai authorities and the insurgent groups. (Bangkok Post)
National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Thawil Pliensri said that there is a three-year plan to solve the “Southern problem”, beginning next year.
Koh Tao
Early Monday morning, 15 September 2014, two British tourists, 24-year-old David Miller and 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge, were killed on Koh Tao, Surat Thani province. Both joined a party at the beach, but what happened during the night from Sunday to Monday cannot be entirely reconstructed. The DNA found on a cigarette close and on the female victim was tested and failed to provide a match. Miller and Witheridge both died from head injuries caused by blunt objects. Additionally, there was water in the lungs of the male victim who may have been fighting with his attacker. Two weeks later, three Burmese migrant workers were accused of the murders of the two British tourists. At the moment, it seems that one of the suspects left the crime scene when the murder took place, but there are still some unanswered questions and criticisms of the investigation. (Bangkok Post)
Officials stated that, in order to make the situation for tourists safer, identification wristbands with a serial number from the hotel which matches their ID and have the contact details of the hotel may be used. (The Guardian)
Pattaya
Pattaya is one of the most popular places for drugs and sex tourism in Thailand, especially the area known as “Walking Street.” Plans have been announced to clean up its image. (The Guardian)
On 27 September, a 23 years old Danish woman was raped. The police have been searching for a suspect of Thai nationality. A 25 to 30-year-old man claiming to be a taxi driver, offered to give her a ride from the PTT petrol station in Baan Amphur to their home to Naklua. The man changed the route and forced her to accompany him to a remote place where the sexual assault took place. The woman accepted the drive back to the petrol station but jumped off the motorbike near a group of people and contacted the police immediately. (PattayaOne)
To download the pdf version please click here: Monthly Security Report – September, 2014
For further information on separate attacks, please consult HDFF’s South Thailand Security Map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210050514500444605871.0004bf948a6668f516ba6&msa=0