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The Matsayit Klang was built in the 1960s and is Thailand's second largest mosque.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Matsayit Klang was built in the 1960s and is Thailand's second largest mosque.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Matsayit Klang was built in the 1960s and is Thailand's second largest mosque.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Matsayit Klang was built in the 1960s and is Thailand's second largest mosque.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Matsayit Klang was built in the 1960s and is Thailand's second largest mosque.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The San Jao Lim Ko Niaw shrine is dedicated to the sister of Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque, the Kru Se Mosque situated outside Pattani town. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
Thailand: San Jao Lim Ko Niaw also known as Leng Chu Kiang shrine, Pattani, southern Thailand
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
Along mainly the east coast of peninsular Thailand, from Ko Samui southward, colorful, painted fishing boats have been built and decorated by Muslim fishermen for hundreds of years. The finest examples of this now declining industry originate in the boatyards of Saiburi District, Pattani Province.<br/><br/> Originally sailboats, korlae are now run with engines by local fishermen. Among the characters commonly depicted on the superbly detailed hull designs are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, the payanak sea serpent, and the garuda bird that is both the symbol of the Thai Kingdom and the mythical mount of the Hindu God Vishnu. Strange subject matter, perhaps, for a group of predominantly Muslim fishermen, but this is very much a cultural cross-over zone, where Thai Buddhism meets Malay Islam, and the resulting mix shows clearly in traditional korlae designs.
The small center of Saiburi is the capital of Saiburi District, located about 94 km (60 miles) southeast of Pattani in southern Thailand. It is also called Selindung Bayu or ‘wind shelter’ by the local Malay Muslim fishing population and is perhaps the most important fishing harbour outside Pattani itself in Pattani Province.
The small center of Saiburi is the capital of Saiburi District, located about 94 km (60 miles) southeast of Pattani in southern Thailand. It is also called Selindung Bayu or ‘wind shelter’ by the local Malay Muslim fishing population and is perhaps the most important fishing harbour outside Pattani itself in Pattani Province.
The small center of Saiburi is the capital of Saiburi District, located about 94 km (60 miles) southeast of Pattani in southern Thailand. It is also called Selindung Bayu or ‘wind shelter’ by the local Malay Muslim fishing population and is perhaps the most important fishing harbour outside Pattani itself in Pattani Province.
The small center of Saiburi is the capital of Saiburi District, located about 94 km (60 miles) southeast of Pattani in southern Thailand. It is also called Selindung Bayu or ‘wind shelter’ by the local Malay Muslim fishing population and is perhaps the most important fishing harbour outside Pattani itself in Pattani Province.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.
The Kru Se Mosque, 7 km (4 miles) east of Pattani in southern Thailand was built in the 1570s by Lim To Khieng, a visiting Chinese merchant who had married a local woman and converted to Islam.<br/><br/> To show his devotion to his new faith, he started building a mosque. His sister, Lim Ko Niaw, sailed from China to protest about his conversion, and he swore that he would return to China as soon as the new mosque was finished. However, he made sure that it never was, and his sister, on her deathbed, cursed the building and anyone who attempted to complete it. Her shrine, Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao, located in downtown Pattani, and the Kru Se Mosque, still attract huge numbers of devotees, the former mainly ethnic Chinese, and the latter Muslim.<br/><br/> Pattani, founded in the 15th century, was once the capital of an independent Malay-speaking sultanate. Today it is the spiritual heart and most important town in the Malay Muslim region of Thailand’s Deep South. About 75 per cent of the population are Malay-speaking Muslims (figures are disputed), and the city and region are at the centre of the current political instability that has disturbed the Deep South border provinces for at least four decades.