Violence in southern Thailand has raised fears of wider unrest in Southeast Asia. The possibility of sectarian conflict is very real following the deaths of more than 100 people in recent incidents. It is still unclear what has triggered the violence, but the Thai government's handling of the situation has not inspired much confidence; it appears to be making things worse.

Thailand's southern provinces have long been restive, and there are many explanations for that. Three provinces -- Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani -- were part of the Muslim kingdom of Pattani, which was independent until it was annexed by Thailand in 1902. They have strong ties to Malaysia, speak a dialect of Malay and identify themselves as Pattanis rather than Thais. The residents are Muslim in a predominantly Buddhist nation.

In addition to those distinguishing characteristics, or perhaps because of them, the region remains largely undeveloped. It generates a mere 1.5 percent of Thailand's gross national product. The government has tried to impose a Thai identity on the region by promoting the Thai language and promoting Buddhists in government, thus increasing resentment. Mounting dissatisfaction yielded an independence movement in the 1970s and '80s, the Pattani United Liberation Organization, but it made little headway and vanished after the government offered members amnesty.