It is saddening that the issue about peace talk or peace dialogue between representatives of the Thai state and the separatist groups in the far South has been heavily politicized to the extent that the peace process itself seems to be swept under the carpet.

The deadly bomb attacks in Hat Yai and Yala’s Muang district on March 31 which left 14 people dead and hundreds injured might be intended to send a message to the central government in Bangkok that the hardcore Islamic militants oppose peace talks and want nothing short of a separate homeland in the Deep South.

The recent brouhaha about a special administrative zone for Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla, to be called Pattani Maha Nakhon, as proposed by Pheu Thai MPs may be just a flash in the frying pan which will not be realized in the near future due to strong opposition from the military.

Love affairs between love-lorn young Thai soldiers and young Malay Muslim women in the far South while a war of insurgency is going on is not uncommon although the practice is despised by families of the women and their communities and discouraged by the army.

Altogether 46 people were killed and 72 others injured in 64 violent incidents in the Deep South in February, according to statistics compiled by the Isra news agency.