The nature of military intervention in the countryside of Surat Thani, Southern Thailand

Abstract

There have been no major military operations by the Thai state against the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) since the mid-1980s. The tanks and guns of the Thai military have been replaced in the countryside by military officials talking about the political and economic dimensions of development. More political space existed in the countryside of the late 1980s, and some elements within the military attempted to manipulate groups of peasants in an effort to demonstrate that the military still had a legitimate role to play in politics. Utilizing material from field research conducted during the years 1985–88, I will focus on the changing nature of military initiatives in the countryside of Surat Thani in southern Thailand. I will discuss the question of whether or not military initiatives are designed to develop capitalism, maintain manageable levels of “internal” security, or combine both these rationales. Of equal importance, I will attempt to highlight the varied responses of local people to these military initiatives.