The constant barrage of bombings, murders and intimidation carried out by jihadists in southern Thailand has virtually destroyed the regional economy. Hardly an economic powerhouse to begin with, the region’s inhabitants, most of whom are Muslims, now struggle to eke out simple sustenance while exposed to death threats made by local Islamic insurgents. Read about it here, thanks to Kemaste.
The open-air market in this southern Thai city falls eerily quiet on Fridays. Most vendors stay home, terrorized by leaflets threatening to kill or cut off the ears of anyone who works on the Muslim holy day.
After 20 months of insurgent violence, the no-work threat has driven another nail into what is becoming an economic coffin in Thailand’s terrorized southern provinces.
“My business has been bad as customers are afraid to come out,” said Thanchanok Putroy, 39, chopping up a catfish in the market where most stores were shut and buses aren’t running.
Among the hundreds killed in the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are police and soldiers, but police records show that 80 percent are civilians — rubber tappers, shopkeepers, civil servants, construction workers and ice cream vendors.