As has been identified and acknowledged, the troubles in southern Thailand where most of the 4-5 percent of Thailand's Malays-Muslims are concentrated have always been multi-layered and multi-faceted.

It seems that the most important root causes are history and identity. However, if seen in the contexts of the histories of international relations, regional defence and security as well as inter-state territorial politics, the problems and issues in southern Thailand may even be more complicated.