An active terrorist group in southern Thailand, the Runda Kumpalan Kecil (RKK) is a product of the larger Malay nationalist-separatist movement, which has turned particularly violent in the last several years. Muslims in the southern provinces of Thailand and northern provinces of Malaysia, originally part of the Islamic kingdom of Pattani, were divided by an arbitrary border imposed by British colonialists in 1909. RKK Pattani nationalists seek to reunite these provinces under an independent Islamic regime.<br /><p><br />The RKK is a splinter group of the Coordinate branch of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Pattani (BRN-C), itself a splinter of the Barisan National Pembebasan Pattani (BNPP), the original party of Pattani nationalism. As the political branch of the BRN in charge of recruiting and spreading the BRN's Islamist separatist doctrine, the BRN-C experienced success in extending the reach of the group through school networks, religious teachers, and student organizations. Ambitious BRN-C members that wished to participate directly in the armed struggle against the Thai government formed the RKK after receiving operational training in Indonesia, allegedly with the help of regional Islamic militant groups.<br /><p><br />Currently made up of around 500 members, the RKK is able to take advantage of the infrastructure established by the BRN-C as well as the local legitimacy of the BRN within the greater Pattani-Malay separatist movement. It is a cell-based organization largely dependent on a network of religious leaders and teachers for recruitment and indoctrination. <br /><p><br />The RKK was largely unheard of until the Thai government acknowledged its existence in late 2005. In June 2006, more than 12 bombs exploded simultaneously near police and government targets in southern Thailand, killing two and injuring dozens. Thai authorities attributed this attack to the RKK and other local Malay Islamist separatists, indicating a level of tactical proficiency previously thought not to exist.<br /><p><br />In October 2006, as part of its <i>ayoh</i> (power within state power) strategy, the RKK began to assign members to villages in southern Thailand to establish a hierarchy that ranked villagers' loyalty to the group. Officials believe these moves will enable the RKK to increase its already substantial local intelligence capability as well as provide depots for the group to hide its weapons. At this point, it is unclear how Bangkok will react to these moves and what effect, if any, will result.<br /><p><br />Little is known about the group's leader Rorhing Ahsong, aka Ustaz Rorhing. "Ustaz" means "Master" or "Teacher", emphasizing the importance of religious schooling to the RKK's overall mission to harass the Thai government and near-term objective to survive as a group.<br />