For many years, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother made her annual visit to the deep South either in September or October of the year. Her Majesty spent her time at Daksin Palace in Narathiwat Province, where a number of projects were launched for local people.

Violent incidents in the predominantly Muslim deep South erupted in early 2004. Concerned about the well-being of local residents, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit extended her stay in the region to boost their morale and carry out development projects for the poor and needy. Her Majesty in 2004 and 2005 extended her usual one-month stay in the deep South to more than two months.

Her Majesty initiated numerous projects to improve living conditions in the southern region. In the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala, more than 50 royally initiated projects have been carried out. The SUPPORT center at Daksin Palace was one of Her Majesty’s major projects in the deep South. It is famous for ceramics production and training. The finished products are sold in the outer compound of the palace and other SUPPORT outlets. The center has generated employment and brought in sizable incomes for local people.

Aware of the importance of natural resource and environment conservation, Her Majesty initiated a project to rehabilitate coastal resources in Pattani and Narathiwat. The Queen encouraged local people to organize numerous activities to revive the ecological system for marine life, such as the building of artificial coral reefs as natural habitats for marine animals. This project replenished waterways in the two provinces with fishery resources.

Another important royally initiated project was the establishment of model farms. All model farms function as sources for quality food production and employment generation and serve as centers for learning efficient farming techniques.

Local residents were delighted that Her Majesty had come despite the violence. She once delivered a speech to local villagers and defense volunteers, calling for peace and unity to avoid further suffering and loss of life. Her Majesty also donated funds to many mosques in the three southern border provinces. Her visits to the deep South gave encouragement to local residents.