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Southern Thailand is large and inviting, featuring
dozens of beautiful islands and a whole host of pristine
beaches on which to top up your tan or enjoy water
sports. The most famous resorts are on the west-facing
Andaman Sea coastline, and the east-facing Gulf of
Thailand coast.
Many people head straight to the South of Thailand
and spend the rest of their stay enjoying all that
this beautiful region has to offer. There are 14 provinces
in all and each offers something different, to the
highly popular and crowded areas in Phuket and Krabi
to the much quieter, less visited areas of Songkla
and Yala near the border with Malaysia.
Although areas of the west coast of Thailand were
badly affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December
2004, all infrastructure has long since been repaired
thanks to the hard work of local and international
volunteers. Perhaps the most effected area was Koh
Phi Phi, and people still wanting to make a contribution
can do so through the Children of Phi Phi Island foundation
www.childrenofphiphi.com.
Many people tend to avoid the very south of Thailand,
scared off by the stories of bombing and murders.
The trouble started in 2004, when a long resentment
in the southern-most Muslim-majority provinces burst
into violence in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala provinces.
However, this all took place well off the beaten tourist
trail, and few visitors were affected.
The Songkla Province town of Hat Yai has also been
hit by a series of related bombings, although none
of the islands or the west coast beaches have been
targeted.
In September 2006, three foreigners were killed in
Hat Yai bomb blasts. Some rebel groups have threatened
foreigners, but no westerners have been directly singled
out for attacks and generally the south of Thailand
is still a safe place to travel.
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