The Barrier of Relationships: Dynamics of Social Interaction and Interethnic Political Relation of People in Na Ngam Subdistrict of Pattani under Violent Situations in the Three Southern Border Provinces

Abstract

This research examines the relationship dynamics of coexistence and political relations through people’s interactions in social spaces in violent situations from 2004 to 2021. It aims to capture people’s lives in a community in the Na Ngam Subdistrict of Pattani, which
is a community with a long history of settlement and coexistence amongst diverse groups of people. These people have played a part in fostering a sense of community through social spaces in everyday life, including agricultural, economic, and educational spaces. Not to mention the fact that they have constantly been facing violent situations that last for more than a decade. This research used the methods of literature review, fieldwork from 2019 to 2021, participant observation, and in-depth interviews with the Thai Buddhist Village Volunteers. The results have revealed that this ongoing violence, which is progressing toward an intractable conflict, and the government’s military operations to manage the area have transformed the identity of the Thai Buddhists into being part of the conflicts within the military and political sphere of interaction. This transformation has ultimately altered the connections between people of different religions at the community level into political relations, which in due course has gradually shattered social relations among the peoples.