The Shariah-Compliant Finance industry is interested in tapping Middle Eastern oil money to help fund Thai infrastructure projects, which could help it gain a foothold in a market with only a small Muslim population.
Southern Thailand has been wracked by an Islamic insurgency for several years:
http://terrortrendsbulletin.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/thailand-the-war-youve-never-heard-of/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/29/islamicfinance-thailand-idUSL3E7HT0RE20110629
