Thailand's three southernmost provinces, where nearly half of the Thai armed forces are stationed, are governed by martial law. Attacks take place almost daily in the region, but this is a "phantom" war in which no one seems to know who is attacking whom.

Thai authorities themselves do not seem to know who the guerrilla forces actually are. So they have labelled them all Runda Kumpulan Kenci, or “Small Combat Unit”.

Killings and torture

Some may question the existence of this faceless guerrilla movement, but the death toll is real. The local Muslim population accuses Thai soldiers, who enjoy a near-total immunity, of playing “shoot to kill”. In the past five years, up to 3,600 people, mostly innocent civilians, have been killed, injured or reported missing. 

Reports of the use of torture are becoming more frequent. "We have received at least 77 complaints of torture,” said Preeda Tongchumnum, a lawyer at a Muslim Attorney Centre in the region. The army denies these reports.

“Whatever happened here, I can assure you it has nothing to do with a deliberate strategy of the army,” Senior Colonel Parinya Chaidilok said from his military base in Yala.

The conflict is already in its sixth year and Thailand doesn't seem to have any political solutions on the table.

Meanwhile, newly elected Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has promised that he will make "pacification" of the region a top priority.