The 10% Muslim minority all live in 4
southern provinces.
• Thailand annexed the area in 1902 as a buffer
against British Malaya.
• The Thai government grants the area some
autonomy.
• In the 1950s-60s, Thai forced assimilation
policies forbade speaking Malay language
and Islamic customs.
• A political movement formed, and in the
1970s the military government clashed with
Muslim ethnic groups