Each of us knows where the lines are drawn, where we cannot step over, where we can move the line a little, and where we can cross without care.
It is only the journey of life in which each draws their own legal, health, traditional, community and social lines, even when facing God. Since , when another round of unrest flared up in the southern border areas, there have been 2 bombing incidents in Betong District, Yala Province.
Quantitatively, this figure is incomparable to other areas. In each case, normality returned soon after the chaos, as if Betong was totally separated from the three southern border provinces. People here believe this is due to the fact that there is only one way in or out of the district, so anyone coming in to cause harm could find themselves trapped in the area.
Nonetheless, as Betong is a border town, as are Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, this area possesses distinct characteristics not found in other border areas. For outsiders, the three provinces constitute the border area, and by common sense this is the area bordering a neighbouring country.
This view is not incorrect, but looking beyond the physical characteristics and the line drawn in the air, there are more to the border areas than that.
