Thai Colonialism in the Malay World

A spate of deadly bombings and shootings have taken place in southern Thailand in one of Asia 's lesser-known insurgencies.

The latest hostilities are part of a longer history of ambivalent relations between Thailand ’s minority Malay-Muslims , who live primarily in the southern provinces along the Malaysian border, and the majority Thai Buddhists .

The conflict is primarily a low-level insurgency fought between the security forces of the Thai state and several separatist movements aspiring to establish “Patani Darussalam” ( the Islamic Land of Patani ) independent of Thailand .

Malay rulers chafed under the increasingly onerous and humiliating demands made by the Thais .

The Islamic faith was mobilised in resistance to the Siamese overlordship and deprivations of the Thai armies.

The establishment of British rule on the Malay Peninsula was partly a reaction against Siameses expansionism.

Siamese rule over northern Malay states became more organised in response to Britain ’s expansionist aims in the peninsula.

In 190102 , the territories that once comprised the Sultanate of Pattani were formally incorporated into Siam and the local Malay rulers were deposed.