Electoral Violence in Southern Thailand’s Border Provinces

Anders Engvall

This article contends that enhanced electoral violence by insurgents at election time can directly influence both voting behavior and electoral outcome. It identifies and analyzes three important, but divergent trends. There has been a decline in overall levels of violence at Thai national elections, a fall in the level of violence in the conflict in southern Thailand’s border provinces, but an increase in the intensity of violence in the same area at times of voting. Drawing on the rich empirical information on violence in the southern border provinces in the Deep South Incident Database created by Deep South Watch, this article provides new information on the use of violence to affect electoral process in this restive region. The analysis traces the increased use of violence at times of recent voting in southern Thailand to the launch of a peace process in 2013. The peace process also made domestic Thai politics more relevant for the separatist groups, creating incentives for them to use violence to affect voting.