Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [606]
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THAILAND’S DEEP SOUTH: SHOULD I GO?
You’re probably thinking, ‘Why should I risk my life to find a fa·ràng-less beach when there are so many other amazing beach destinations in Thailand?’ Well…you have a really good point. The last thing we want is for you to return from your tropical adventure in a cedar box. But don’t dismiss Thailand’s Deep South so quickly, intrepid traveller; there are many places in the region that have never experienced the ‘terrorism’ detailed in the global newspapers.
One quick thing before we give you the low-down: we (of course) cannot promise that any destination is always safe (you’ll find lengthy ‘Dangers & Annoyances’ sections in our coverage of Thailand’s most popular vacation spots), so when we refer to a place as being tourist-friendly, we mean that they are just as safe as, say, Phuket or Chiang Mai.
Satun Province has never been consumed in the political turmoil endemic to its next-door neighbours. The province’s pièce de résistance is the must-see Ko Tarutao Marine National Park ( Click here), a collection of 50-some scruffy jungle islands. Songkhla Province is also safe, save for the province’s four southernmost ‘counties’, which have had blips on the police radar. The bustling business town of Hat Yai ( Click here) is a great spot for market oglers, while Songkhla Town ( Click here) is a haven for laid-back types who are looking to step off the tourist trail.
As far as the other provinces go? They are untouched hinterlands swathed in thousands of years of religious history. But, like you mentioned before, there are plenty of other beaches and temple towns awaiting the flash of your camera, so it’s probably best to start elsewhere. Click here for more information. Those who are contemplating a visa run across the Malaysian border should consider traversing on the Ko Lipe–Langkawi circuit; however, if you’re on a Butterworth-bound train it’s not the end of the world to hop the border elsewhere.
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Today the terror-inducing demonstrations continue. Most of the attacks today are firecracker bombs or other small exploding devices that harm few but ignite fear. The number of attacks always increases in the month of November – right after the prime minister passes through for his yearly survey and visit. Victims are chosen at random – men playing cards in a coffee shop are dragged out onto the street and shot, a farmer working in a rubber field gets his head cut off, or passengers in a van are stopped, searched and beaten beyond recognition. It’s the pure randomness of these acts that causes the high amount of local anguish. Thai authorities keep a watchful eye on the main perpetrators – Yawi-speaking young males fuelled by severe drug addiction and a lack of formal education. However, until authorities are more proactive in reducing these random acts of violence, the media will continue to blame these traumatic blips of terror on the parliament’s lack of control rather than erratic behaviour of muddled separatists. While motives remain unclear, most people believe that violence will only end when all Buddhists have been driven away, and the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat can re-establish the sultanate they had over a century ago.
Climate
If you are planning to visit the islands in Satun Province, it is best to plan your trip between early November and mid-May – the seas tend to be quite choppy during the low season and ferry services drastically dwindle. Monsoon rains between June and October make travel along the Andaman Coast rather unappealing. On the other hand, the region’s gulf-facing provinces experience the most rain between October and December.
National