This would require a major shift in approach from the Thai state, which prefers to imagine itself as possessing a unified character and identity, but there are signs that Thai leadership and society are becoming increasingly open to such a possibility. It finds that while the right of the inhabitants of the area to legally claim self-determination is tenuous, a broader understanding of self-determination may be able to support the concept of a regional autonomy arrangement that could address some of their long-standing grievances. This research essay explores the possibility of a negotiated settlement for the Patani region and how this settlement might be supported by international law. The nascent ‘peace process’ has already been severely tested in its first few months but the meetings continue, with the most recent occurring on 13 June 2013 (at the time of writing). The author of this essay visited the area as a journalist in 2008 and can confirm the presence of a simmering pro-independence sentiment among some of the Malay-Muslim population there ( Lamey 2008: 114). Rebellion and resistance have been consistent hallmarks of the Malay-Muslim areas of southern Thailand since the Kingdom of Patani was definitively incorporated into the Kingdom of Siam at the beginning of the 20th century. Peace talks between the Thai government and rebels from the southern Patani region, begun in March 2013, have ushered a century of tensions into a new phase. However, these have highlighted significant challenges that would surround any peace process, particularly the dispersed nature of the insurgency. Talks between an insurgent group and the Thai government began in 2013. However, credible and committed leadership would be needed from both sides in order for some kind of negotiated settlement to be agreed upon and implemented. This possibility has entered mainstream political discussion in Thailand in recent years. There are also now some positive Southeast Asian examples of autonomy solutions made under similar circumstances, particularly Aceh and Mindanao. Prima facie, an autonomy arrangement has the potential to address many of the grievances of the Malay-Muslim community in the Patani region. While the right of the inhabitants of the area to legally claim self-determination under international law is tenuous, a broader understanding of self-determination may be able to support the concept of a regional autonomy arrangement within the Thai state. This resistance has at times had a violent character, as it does right now, but has also involved a resilient attachment to various aspects of the local identity, such as the religion, language, and local historic narrative. The Kingdom of Patani was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Siam a little over 100 years ago and has been in varying states of rebellion since then.