BANGKOK: Thailand marks 22 years since the current wave of insurgency in the deep South reignited on Sunday (Jan 4) after the theft of 413 firearms from an army camp in Cho-airong district, Narathiwat.
Figures compiled by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) are based on compensation cases certified by a three-party committee of police, military and civil authorities, meaning each case must be verified as a security-related incident before payments are approved.
SBPAC said the data, therefore, reflects legally and academically supported evidence of losses in life and property.
SBPAC’s compensation unit recorded certified incidents from 2004 through December 26, 2025, showing:
10,116 insurgency-related incidents in total
20,431 people were affected physically
5,999 deaths (3,661 civilians; 2,338 state personnel)
13,519 injured (6,614 civilians; 6,905 state personnel)
913 people left disabled (469 civilians; 444 state personnel)
SBPAC also reported that government compensation spending over the past 21 years totalled THB4.69 billion (US$149.3 million), including THB3.46 billion for physical harm and THB1.23 billion for property damage (homes, vehicles and crops).
Latest-year trends: fewer attacks, but heavier toll on officials
For 2025, SBPAC recorded 150 certified security incidents.
Deaths totalled 48, including 38 state personnel and 10 civilians.
Injuries totalled 384, with 219 state personnel and 165 civilians.
Despite continued violence, property compensation in 2025 totalled just THB2.80 million, the lowest on record compared with other years of the conflict, according to the statistics cited.
Looking back across the 22 years, SBPAC data shows:
2007 had the highest number of certified incidents at 1,407, with 892 deaths in that year alone.
2020 had the lowest number of incidents at 57 and the lowest deaths at 36 during the Covid-19 outbreak.
2024 saw the highest property compensation at THB279.53 million, despite property-targeting incidents numbering 175, indicating heavier damage per incident.
Bombings and ambushes dominate in late 2025
Security agencies also released summaries for the first three months of fiscal year 2026 on Sunday (October–December 2025).
The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4 Forward Command reported 21 security incidents, comprising nine bombings, eight ambush shootings, two arson attacks, and two robbery-related cases involving a gold shop and a vehicle.
ISOC said bombings and ambush shootings remained the main tactics.
Narathiwat recorded the most incidents (13) and nine deaths in total, comprising two soldiers, two Or Sor members (territorial defence volunteers), and four civilians, while one suspect was reported killed in a security operation.
Injuries totalled 21, including seven police officers, two soldiers, two local leaders and 10 civilians.
Pattani and Yala each recorded four incidents.
Separately, the southern border police force and the Royal Thai Police's forward operations centre reported 24 security cases across the three provinces in the same period.
Narathiwat accounted for 14 cases, or 58 per cent of the total.
The most frequently affected areas were Rueso and Chanae police stations with 3 cases each, followed by Cho-airong and Si Sakhon with two each, and Su-ngai Kolok, Su-ngai Padi, Yi-ngo and Ra-ngae with one each.
In Narathiwat, the police said the incidents were mostly shootings (seven), followed by explosives (four), arson (one) and other incidents (two). Pattani and Yala each recorded five cases.
In Pattani, Mayo police station logged 2 cases, while Ban Soring, Na Pradu and Nong Chik recorded one each, with bombings (three) outnumbering ambush shootings.
In Yala, Mueang Yala police station recorded three cases (two bombings and one shooting), while Bannang Sata had one shooting, and Yaha reported one arson case.
Across the three months, police reported 34 casualties in total: 12 deaths (including three police officers, two soldiers, three civilians, two Territorial Defence Volunteers and one suspect killed) and 22 injuries (including eight police officers, two soldiers, two local leaders and 10 civilians). - The Nation/ANN
