Since January 2004, Thailand's deep south has seen ongoing conflict between Thai military forces and separatist groups seeking greater autonomy.

The violence is largely confined to the country's three southernmost provinces, Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala — home to a Muslim Malay majority in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

The region, located along the Thai-Malaysia border, has seen over 23,000 violent incidents, leading to more than 7,000 deaths, according to Deep South Watch, a local think tank.

The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the dominant separatist group, has been implicated in attacks targeting civilians, including Buddhist monks and schoolteachers, according to Human Rights Watch.

Between January and early May this year, 38 violent incidents were recorded — almost as many as in all of 2024. Don Pathan, a Thailand-based security analyst, points to two attacks as key escalations.

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The first came after Thailand's National Security Council and the BRN failed to reach a

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