Appropriating a space for violence: State Buddhism in southern Thailand Michael Jerryson In southern Thailand, monasteries once served as focal points for different communal identities to negotiate shared space and, with it, shared identities. However, since mar- tial law was declared in 2004, Muslims in southern Thailand do not frequent monas- teries. Instead, soldiers and police occupy monastery buildings and protect the perimeters from attacks. In addition, there are now military monks, soldiers who are simultaneously ordained monks, who work to protect the monasteries. This article argues that the Thai State’s militarisation of monasteries and the role of Buddhist monks fuel a religious dimension to the ongoing civil war in southern Thailand. On 9 November 2006, the Bangkok Post published a brief article about 100 Thai Buddhist villagers fleeing their homes in Yala, one of the southernmost provinces in Thailand. Women, men and children, abandoning their homes and livelihood, tra- velled to their capital district where they found refuge in Wat Nirotsangkatham. 1 By the beginning of December their numbers had grown to over 228 people. 2 None of the Buddhist refugees felt they would be safe returning to their villages. Instead, they made a temporary home at the wat (Buddhist monastic compound). The villagers were not the only laity then residing at the wat. Thai soldiers were already living at Wat Nirotsangkatham, guarding the entrance and fortifying its perimeters. Michael Jerryson is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Correspondence in connection with this article may be addressed to: mjerryson@gmail.com. The author will like to thank the Pacific Rim program (University of California), the James Kline foundation, the Thai, Laos and Cambodia Group, and the University of California, Santa Barbara for funding this research. Insightful collective feedback was given following a brief synopsis of the Asian Area Studies conference in Boston (22–25 Mar. 2007). Individual comments from the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies reviewers, Irving Johnson, Stanley Tambiah, and Duncan McCargo, and Bivi, who helped in the development of this essay. Kotchaphan Pornsirichai, Paulpone and southern contacts, who wish to remain nameless, pro- vided helpful translation assistance. Last but not least, thanks to all the monks who extended their homes and their hospitality to a stranger during strange and difficult times. 1 Bangkok Post, ‘Yala Buddhists flee to temple safety,’ 9 Nov. 2006. 2 According to the Bangkok Post, by 24 Dec. 2006, 161 people were at the wat. Bangkok Post, ‘Buddhist “refugees” demand new home’, 24 Dec. 2006. However, on 8 Dec. 2006 from personal communication with refugees and the abbot at the wat, I received different statistics. I was told that at the beginning of December, refugees numbered 228. This number decreased by 60 during the first week of December. Some moved away, others rented different places to stay, and about 14 moved back to their villages. On 8 Dec. there were exactly 157 people still present. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 40(1), pp 33–57 February 2009. Printed in the United Kingdom. 33 © 2009 The National University of Singapore doi:10.1017/S0022463409000034