The spicy Thai soup has been popular among Malaysians for more than two decades after many tasted it on trips over the border. It created business opportunities for Muslims in the deep South.

Some entered the business with big money while others had only cooking skills, taking jobs in restaurants or sidewalk stalls before accumulating enough capital to start their own businesses.

Mohamad (not his real name) told The Nation his story. He left Pattani with Bt1 million more than a decade ago to seek his fortune in the Malaysian border town of Kota Bharu, opposite Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok.

He managed to obtain Malaysian citizenship by dishing out tens of thousands of baht to a long line of corrupt officials. With Malaysian nationality, he could obtain a permit to open a Thai restaurant. Business was good and money poured in. He sent some back to build a Bt3-million home in Pattani.

Many Thais made their way to Malaysia with almost empty pockets and ended up running their own stores or stalls.

Mareepeng, from Pattani's Yaring district, began a decade ago with a sidewalk stall in Kuala Lumpur with a few relatives and now has four shops providing him with enough money to build a big house and buy cars in Pattani.

These journeys are some of the many success stories that have inspired compatriots in the southern region to seek the greener grass on the other side of the border.

Almost every day, younger Thais from Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat visit restaurants in search of a job. Many find themselves doing unskilled work. Often they start out washing dishes in restaurants before moving to serving and eventually cooking. After getting enough experience, they leave the restaurants to open their own sidewalk stalls.

Thai restaurant workers earn a fairly decent wage of 30 to 40 ringgits (Bt300 to Bt400) per day. Cooks can make Bt15,000 to Bt18,000 a month. Street vendors selling Thai food pull in as much as Bt20,000 a month before paying workers. Thailand benefits from a healthy inflow of money from these workers.

Malaysian officials estimate there were about 50,000 Thai food shops in the country and that they employ thousands of workers. The vendors deny that their remittances finance militants to create trouble at home.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation