1902 - Thailand (then called Siam) annexes the ancient Kingdom of Patani, a semi-autonomous Islamic Malay region.

1903 - The last sultan of Patani is charged with treason for opposing the Thai occupation. He is released three years later.

1910 - Sufi sheiks lead two further uprisings, which are put down by the army.

1922 - Residents of Namsai village in Pattani refuse to pay land tax to the Thai government in protest at education reforms requiring all children to attend state primary schools to learn Thai.

1939 - The ethnically neutral name of Siam is changed to Thailand, and Buddhist Thai culture is imposed across the country. Phibun Songkhram bans Malay customs and language from government offices, and rescinds Islamic law.

1941 - Thailand allies with Japan in World War II but some southerners join the resistance movement, hoping an Allied victory will bring independence to Pattani.

1944 - Pridi Phanomyong takes power and revokes some of the harsher assimilation policies of his predecessor.

1945 - British Malaya territories captured by Japan are returned and hopes of Pattani's accession to Malaya thwarted. Pridi establishes new governance structures to include Malay Muslims in political life.

1947 - The chairman of the Pattani Provincial Islamic Council, Haji Sulong, establishes the Patani People's Movement to petition for self-rule, linguistic and cultural rights, and the implementation of Islamic law. Phibun mounts a coup and takes office again.

1948 - The military government imprisons Haji Sulong and other southern leaders. Some 250,000 Thai Malays petition the United Nations for accession to the new Federation of Malaya. Many are arrested. Phibun makes gradual and limited concessions. Riots erupt across the region.

1959 - The Patani National Liberation Front is formed - the first organised armed group to call for Patani's independence.

Late 1960s - Over 60 armed groups are active in the southern states, with some engaged in criminal operations. Internal rifts start to weaken the major groups.

1970s-early 1980s - Groups continue to wage campaigns of violence, mainly through attacks on police posts and government buildings. The government launches military operations.

1981 - The government initiates an overhaul of security and governance structures to pursue political accommodation, including initiatives on public participation and development.

1980s-early 90s - Hundreds of fighters accept an amnesty, leading to optimism that the insurgency is over.

1990s - Low-level militant activity continues.

1997-98 - Malaysia cracks down on Thai separatist leaders in its northern states, following a request from the Thai government.

2001 - Thaksin Shinawatra is elected prime minister and attempts to re-establish top-down political authority over the southern provinces. In December, militants carry out co-ordinated attacks on police posts.

2002 - Thaksin abolishes the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre and the joint civilian-police-military (CPM) task force, stoking tensions.

2003 - The Thai government launches a war on drugs, with the southern border provinces heavily affected. More than 2,200 people are killed and thousands arbitrarily arrested, blacklisted and "disappeared", according to Human Rights Watch. In June, three prominent Muslims are arrested on terrorist charges.

2004

Jan - Militants raid an army arsenal in Narathiwat province, torch schools and police posts and set off several bombs. The government imposes martial law.

Mar - Prominent human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaichit disappears while defending alleged militants.

Apr 28 - Synchronised attacks are carried out on police posts and army checkpoints across Pattani, Yala and Songkhla, ending in a bloody showdown at the Krue Se Mosque in which the Thai army guns down 32 men. By the end of the day, 105 militants, one civilian and five members of the security forces are dead.

Oct 25 - A demonstration outside a police station in Tak Bai leads to the deaths of at least 85 Muslim men and boys. Most die from suffocation after being arrested and stuffed in army trucks for transport to an army base.

2005

Jul - Thaksin is given new powers to counter suspected Muslim militants in the region. In November, the death toll since January 2004 tops 1,000.

Oct - A Buddhist monk dies when Phrom Prasit Temple in Pattani province is burned down - the first direct attack on a Buddhist temple since the violence began in 2004.

2006

Jan - One of five policemen accused of "disappearing" rights lawyer Neelaphaichit is jailed for three years. The others are acquitted. Thaksin says he understands Somchai is dead.

Thaksin rejects an offer of peace talks, saying he has never heard of the separatist group that requested negotiations.

Feb - Rallies demand Thaksin's resignation amid allegations of corruption and abuse of power. Thaksin dissolves parliament and calls a snap election, but main opposition parties say they will boycott the polls

Apr 2-4 - Thaksin's party wins 57 percent of the vote, but says he will step aside due to an unexpectedly large protest vote. He officially remains PM but hands day-to-day duties to former police general Chidchai Vanasatidya, who was in charge of security (including for the Muslim south).

Apr 23 - By-elections are held for 40 empty parliamentary seats, but fail to resolve the political crisis.

Apr 25 - The Thai king calls on the country's top judges to solve the "mess".

May 8 - The Constitutional Court rules the April 2 election invalid.

August - Police say they have thwarted what they believe to be preparations for a bomb attack on the house of the prime minister, who accuses army officers of plotting to kill him.

Sept 16 - Four people die and 68 are injured when three remote-controlled bombs hidden in motorcycles go off in the southern tourist town of Hat Yi. Three other bombs cause minor damage.

Sept 18 - The Thai army seizes power without a shot being fired, dismissing the prime minister, who is in New York. Military leaders say the seizure is temporary and power will be "returned to the people" soon.

Oct - Retired General Surayud Chulanont is appointed as interim prime minister. He takes a more conciliatory approach to the south, visiting several times over the next few months.

Dec 31 - Series of bomb blasts in Bangkok kills three people but no group claims responsibility.

2007

Feb 18 - On Lunar New Year, militants carry out dozens of coordinated bombing, arson and shooting attacks on urban areas across four provinces, targeting people of Thai-Chinese ancestry. At least 8 people are killed and 50 people wounded.

Mar - Thai security forces kill five militants in a rare successful raid on a jungle training camp in the south. The military says the men belonged to a group called BRN Coordinate, which is believed to be the largest separatist network with several thousand members, and is an offshoot of the Barasi Revolusi Nasional (National Revolutionary Front).

Mar 20 - Human Rights Watch says the Thai army and police are "disappearing" ethnic Malay Muslims in the far south.

May - More than 100 killed in one of the bloodiest months.

Dec Pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP) falls just short of outright majority in a general election

2008

Jan - PPP leader Samak Sundaravej elected prime minister at head of six-party coalition

Sept - The Constitutional Court finds Samak guilty of violating constitution by hosting TV cooking shows while in office and he has to quit. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, is elected prime minister by parliament

Dec - The Constitutional Court disbands the PPP and bans Somchai from politics for five years. On Dec. 15, opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is elected prime minister