The heart of Yala town is marked as a "red zone" for insurgent attacks. Along its main street, car bombings have proved a frequent threat.
Locals say they have seen a once vibrant and thriving business district decimated in the space of a few years, a combination of fear and the strict security measures imposed by the military.
While heavily armed soldiers patrol the area, the locals' main source of protection comes in the form of a concrete barrier that was installed along Ruam Mit Road five years ago.
But while the barrier may help stop flying shrapnel, residents say the unsightly cement structures worsened the city's "war zone" image and have helped keep foot traffic away.
Earlier this month, however, that image was transformed.
The rough cement surface of the blast walls became a canvas for amateur and professional artists to leave a colourful mark; almost overnight, the "war zone" became a vibrant new hotspot for selfie addicts.
PIPING UP
The blast wall had humble beginnings. In 2011, a family living on Yala town's main road responded to the car bomb threat by erecting a row of abutting 40cm-diameter cement pipes, placed vertically, to form a barrier in front of their home.
At only 130cm tall, the pipes -- which were filled with cement -- offered only partial protection, but it was hoped they would bear the brunt of a close-range blast and prevent major property damage.
The Southern Border Province Administration Centre (SBPAC) soon latched on to the idea, and offered funds to Yala city to install the pipe barriers along the full length of the main road and its crossroads.
Ruam Mit Road is the central business district of Yala, and is home to the city's main fresh market, along with restaurants, coffee shops, shopping centres, schools and businesses, as well as residential properties.
But now with more than 700 cement pipes placed along the road's busiest area, and with military checkpoints at each end, the business district's energetic atmosphere was replaced by that of a hazardous conflict zone.
Foot traffic was already low after multiple explosions in the area, and the presence of heavily armed soldiers did little to invite visitors. During the past five years, most people simply stopped going through the area altogether.
Frustrated by the lack of customers, local business people attempted to inject some life back into the area by painting the barriers in a single colour.
But the effort failed, and Ruam Mit Road remained largely deserted.
BACK TO LIFE
After five years of living in fear and sinking into both economic and psychological depression, locals decided they had had enough. They began to paint the pipe barriers with various kinds of plants, flowers and even an aquarium.
Sensing the locals' frustration, Yala governor Doldej Padhanarath decided he needed to step in and help reclaim the city's happy and peaceful image.
Mr Doldej assembled a team and instructed them to devise ways to restore Yala's formerly vibrant atmosphere. Taking inspiration from the locals' efforts to decorate the barriers, the team came up with a project to invite local artists to use the concrete pipes as a blank canvas.
Yala provincial office didn't have any money to fund the project. But since the SBPAC has a dedicated budget for "restoring peace and happiness" to the city, the agency stumped up 300,000 baht to fund the initiative.
Ratchapol Promthong, chief of the Department of Information and Communication Technology in Yala, was assigned to helm the project and began recruiting artists from all over the province.
The paint and brushes, as well as food and drink, were provided for free with the SBPAC budget.
Students from private and government schools, Yala Rajabhat University and local artist groups all expressed a desire to volunteer.
Once Mr Ratchapol had put together a list of artists, he issued a deadline: They were to start working from March 21 until April 9, finishing their paintings before Songkran in the hope of attracting more tourists to the area.
The artists took turns working day and night to transform the town. Despite being asked to work in the oppressive summer heat, all of the painting was finished within the deadline, and the street was transformed into a vibrant, colourful centre.
"The project went nicely without any problem. We allowed all artists to manage their time and they did it well. Now Yala town no longer looks like a war zone. People have started coming back to the road and enjoying their time here," Mr Ratchapol said, adding that a new weekend walking street project will be launched later this month.
"Since people now feel more comfortable spending their time on this road, I want to officially announce that Yala town now is back to life again."
PEACE OF THE ACTION
Among the hundreds of volunteer artists, 61-year-old Waearong "Arun" Waeno, who is president of the South Free Art Group, was working especially hard to ensure the project was completed on time.
Though the sun was out in full force, Waearong worked with a broad smile on his face; the volunteer artists started to call him "Smiley Arun".
Waearong told Spectrum he was contacted by the Yala provincial office and asked to help paint the barriers. He gladly accepted, and gathered 14 other artists from his group to join.
The South Free Art Group is well-known due to the annual exhibition it organises showcasing unique painting styles that portray the identity of southern Muslims.
"I was asked to paint 200 cement pipes on Ruam Mit Road. We didn't hesitate at all," Waearong said.
"We came here every day in the early morning. When the sun got really hot during the day, we rested until it went down and started working again until midnight.
"We didn't paint images of Muslim and local lifestyles the way we usually do, but instead painted local animals with colourful scenery that only people from the South will recognise."
The concrete barriers were broken into six different zones, with each assigned a different theme.
Alongside the professional artists were young and aspiring painters. Yala Rajabhat University sent their first-year art students, with rector Sombat Yothathip saying 60 students were there each day.
Mr Sombat said the project was not just about giving the students a chance to hone their skills; it was also about teaching them to give back to the society they live in.
"We want to show that Yala has a diversity of people from different backgrounds living together in harmony. We have our own beauty, we love peace, and we learn to live together as one," he said.
LAND OF SMILES
The completion of the project has already had a marked effect on public morale. The quiet road has become active again -- people who didn't smile at each other previously now casually interact -- and groups of teens gather for selfies in front of the new artworks.
Local photographer Winai Madaree, 40, told Spectrum the town used to be lifeless and people were too scared to venture out to Ruam Mit Road. But the colourful art has sparked an enormous change.
"The soldiers who guard this area have become more relaxed and allow us to take photos with them and the barriers. They used to stop anyone who wanted to take a photo of the barrier due to security reasons," Mr Winai said.
"The military also used to collect our ID cards whenever we wanted to go through this area. But those days are gone.
"It used to be quiet here. People didn't even want to walk down this road if it was not absolutely necessary. Now I see cyclists riding through the area, young people come here to take selfies and post them on Facebook, and, most importantly, people smile a lot more."
A brush with destiny: Students from private and government schools, Yala Rajabhat University and local artist groups all volunteered to brighten up the street.
Where art and safety intersect: The pipe barriers were built on Ruam Mit Road and its main junctions in 2011 in response to the threat of car bombs, and were brightened up earlier this month.
No hesitation: Waearong Waeno says he jumped at the chance to take part in the project.
From drab to fab: A concrete barrier outside a 7-Eleven in Yala before and after the makeover. Right, what the cylinder concrete barriers looked like for five years before the project.
