Precious few travelers venture to the Thai town of Pattani these days.
Located in Thailand’s deep south near the border with Malaysia, Pattani was the site of a major Japanese landing in the first days of World War II; from here they pushed down the Malay Peninsula to capture Singapore. More recently (since 2004) the small town has been a focal point in an insurgency which has claimed, on average, two to three lives per day. The motives for the violence are complex, but a significant factor is the discrimination local Muslims feel they receive under the Thai government. Thailand is an overwhelmingly Buddhist nation, but the four provinces in Thailand’s deep south are predominately Muslim.
In the days surrounding my own visit in September 2007, several passengers on a bus were shot, a military truck was hit by a roadside bomb, a teacher and farmer were gunned down, and a judicial official was assassinated. But as in other conflict zones, life goes on in the midst of the uncertainty. On an afternoon walk through the town, I came across these two smiling Thai soldiers heading out on patrol. I was struck by their facial expressions…and their mode of transport.
