Most people outside may know Pattani as one of the three violence-prone southernmost provinces. That is just one negative aspect of the province.

The fact that about 100 plus cloth banners mostly carrying one common political statement were hung in many public places in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces and two districts of Songkhla on April 22 was widely reported in national and local media. It has also become a subject of widespread discussions.

The new round of peace talk between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group looks likely to be postponed to after the 9th anniversary of the Tak Bai incident on October 25 from the tentatively scheduled October 20.

The ongoing peace talk between the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional has a slim chance of success because the rebels were forced into the peace process against their will by the Malaysian government, said former deputy interior minister and ex-senator Den Tohmeena.

Peace talk process has taken off the ground early December after the return home from a one-day visit to Malaysia by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on December 1.