It originated Coming_to_be in 1948 as an ethnic and religious separatist insurgency in the historical Malay Patani Region , made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand and parts of a fourth , but has become Becoming more complex and increasingly violent since 2001 .

The former Sultanate of Pattani , which included Cause_to_be_included the southern Thai provinces of Pattani ( Patani ) , Yala ( Jala ) , Narathiwat ( Menara ) —also known as the three Southern Border Provinces ( SBP ) —as well as neighbouring parts of Songkhla Province ( Singgora ) , and the northeastern part of Malaysia ( Kelantan ) , was conquered Conquering by the Kingdom of Siam in 1785 and , except for Kelantan , has been governed Control by Thailand ever since .

Local leaders have persistently demanded Request at least a level of autonomy from Thailand for the Patani region and some of the separatist insurgent movements have made a series of demands Request for peace talks and negotiations Communication .