Yala (Thai ยะลา) is the southernmost province (changwat) of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north-west clockwise) Songkhla, Pattani and Narathiwat. The southern part borders Malaysia.

In Malay Language, the province is also written as Jolor.

Geography

Yala is located on the Malay Peninsula.

History

Historically Pattani was the centre of the semi-independent Malay Pattani kingdom, but paying tribute to the Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. After Ayutthaya fell in 1767 Pattani gained full independence, but under King Rama I it again came under Siam's control. In 1909, it was annexed by Siam as part of a treaty negotiated with the British Empire. Along with Narathiwat, Yala was originally part of Pattani, but they were split off and became provinces of their own. There is a separatist movement in Yala, which after being dormant for many years erupted again in 2004.

Demographics

Yala is one of the four provinces of Thailand where the majority of the population are Muslim, making up 68.9% of the population. Also 66.1% of the population are Malay.

Symbols

The provincial seal shows a miner with simple mining tools including hoes, crowbars, and baskets. Yala was originally a mining town with tin and tungsten ores. The provincial tree is the Red Saraca (Saraca declinata ), and the provincial flower is the Bullet Wood (Mimusops elengi ).

Administrative divisions

Yala is subdivided into 7 districts (Amphoe) and one minor district (King Amphoe), which are further subdivided into 56 communes (tambon) and 341 villages (mubaan).

Unrest

There has been unrest in southern Thailand since January 4 2004, particularly in the provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani. These regions are home to most of the Muslim minority in Thailand, many of whom are also ethnic Malays. These have been the scene of separatist activity since the 1980s. The population is particularly disaffected by the perceived heavy-handed crackdown on these activities by the central government, which has protrayed the security problems in the region as a non-issue.

On October 26 2004, 78 people were suffocated after being put in police trucks, having been suspected of taking part in riots around the region.

On November 7 2004, the Defence Minister of Thailand said that there were more than 700 casualties in south Thailand since the unrest began in January.

External links

• Province page from the Tourist Authority of Thailand
• Golden Jubilee Network province guide
• "700 casualties since January" - news article by Xinhua
• "78 killed following riot" - news article by MSNBC