The southern provinces of Thailand, including Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and four districts of Songkhla province (Chana, Thepa, Na Thawi, and Saba Yoi), have experienced an almost 19 year-long conflict, from 2004 to 2023. The conflict has deeply affected the daily lives of people in the area. From 2004 to 2023, there were 22,296 violent incidents, resulting in 7,547 deaths and 14,028 injuries. The majority of the victims, 83.19%, have been male, with females comprising 14.91% (Deep South Watch, 2023)1. At the conflict’s peak in 2007, there were 2,396 violent incidents, 1,670 injuries, and 892 deaths. These numbers declined in later years, and in 2023 there were 481 violent incidents, 217 injuries, and 116 deaths.
In an effort to better understand the dynamics of this conflict and its effects on the population, a collaborative initiative known as the “Peace Survey” has been conducted.
The Peace Survey is a joint initiative involving a network of 25 academic institutions and civil society organizations from both within and beyond the southern provinces of Thailand. These organizations are engaged in diverse missions and roles connected to peacebuilding and regional development. The survey’s purpose is to examine how social, economic, and political factors influence people’s emotions and attitudes toward the peace process and local conflicts.
The Peace Survey began in 2016, with the most recent edition, Peace Survey #7, conducted in 2023. This latest survey included 1,312 respondents, with a slight majority of female respondents (734 or 55.9%), and slightly fewer male respondents (578 or 44.1%).
One of the key questions in the survey asked respondents about their awareness of peace talks. The results showed that nearly half of the respondents (49.9%) had heard about peace talks. Despite the ongoing conflict over 19 years, the survey found that 70.3% of respondents support the idea of using peace talks as a solution to the conflict. The findings indicate that the majority of people continue to support dialogue as a means to restore peace and resolve the problem. While the majority of respondents support peace talks, a significant portion remains skeptical, highlighting the need for those involved in the dialogue process to work harder to build trust.
The survey also touched on perceptions of the conflict’s current state. Despite a decline in direct violence, 49.0% of respondents feel that the situation has either remained the same or worsened over the past year, suggesting that unresolved underlying issues continue to affect the region.
Women’s participation in peacebuilding was another important aspect of the survey. Over half of the respondents believe that women should play a role in all aspects of peacebuilding. The most significant roles identified for women include providing remedy, rehabilitation, and support for those affected by violence (68.6%), creating safe spaces in communities (64.3%), protecting human rights and seeking justice (57.7%), and participating in peace talks (48.2%).
When asked what the new government should prioritize to solve the problems in the southern provinces, a majority of respondents emphasized the importance of developing the local economy to promote careers and generate income (81.6%). Addressing drug abuse (65.9%) and reforming education to better accommodate local culture (25.7%) were also highlighted as key priorities. These top recommendations reflect the immediate concerns of the respondents, focusing on improving livelihoods, combating drug abuse, and promoting local identity and culture.
The insights gathered from the Peace Survey are crucial for the government and other stakeholders as they develop future peacebuilding interventions in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.
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1Deep South Watch. (2023). Conflict incident database. Retrieved from https://deepsouthwatch.org/
Nurainee Jangoe
Nurainee Jangoe is a data scientist and analyst at Deep South Watch. Her work primarily focuses on providing and developing an evidence database to inform and enhance understanding of the conflict in the Deep South of Thailand. She is also an academic activist and participated in the YSEALI Professional Fellows Program in 2022 under the theme of “Governance and Society”. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in the Data Science program at Prince of Songkla University, with her thesis titled "Statistical Model for Estimating Economic Loss Due to Conflict in the Deep South of Thailand". Having previously worked for The Asia Foundation, Nurainee’s research interests are primarily in the fields of women's empowerment, social science, peacebuilding, and conflict issues. She is skilled in programming and proficient in Epidata, Power BI, R, and SPSS software.
