Thailand’s ‘Deep South’ conflict in focus as Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim meets Prayuth Chan-ocha

Meeting will focus on border area between the countries, where a near two-decade insurgency is undermining big investment plans for the zone

Malaysia has mediated several rounds of peace talks between Bangkok and some insurgent factions, but the meetings have made little impact

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Thai security forces take part in a joint police and army river patrol along the Thailand-Malaysia border. Photo: AFP/File

Published: 8:30am, 9 Feb 2023Updated: 8:46am, 9 Feb 2023

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is due in Bangkok on Thursday to meet his Thai counterpart with a sharp focus on the ‘Deep South’ border area between the countries, where a near two-decade insurgency is undermining big investment plans for the zone.

On his two-day visit, part of a debut tour of Southeast Asian neighbours since a November poll win saw him appointed prime minister, Anwar will meet Prayuth Chan-ocha, Thailand’s premier who is widely expected to contest a general election of his own within months.

“Focus areas include economic cooperation, border area development and key connectivity projects crossing the land borders,” the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement ahead of the visit on Wednesday.

Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (C) addresses supporters before coming elections in Bangkok. Photo: AFP/File

Thailand’s southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and parts of Songkhla are an important crossroads for north-south trade between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok – and a strategically pivotal neck of land connecting Thailand to Malaysia.

Any China-backed ambitions to one day run high-speed trains from its Yunnan province to Singapore, will first have to pass through the ‘Deep South’.

But the area is gripped by an insurgency against Thai rule by fighters from the Muslim-Malay majority. The zone was annexed by Buddhist-majority Thailand over a century ago and has been governed under martial law since 2004, prompting widespread allegations of rights abuses as well as the railroading of Malay culture and education by the Thai state.

More than 7,000 people have died in that time, most are civilians caught in security operations by the Thai forces who swamp the area as well as in shootings and bomb blasts by the publicity-shy separatist groups, who move freely across the porous border to Malaysia.