In the #NotATarget campaign on social media, Buddhist monks, imams, places of religion, markets, schools, and hospitals should not be made a target of violence. People are invited to share pictures of soft targets, locations that should not be venues for violence, with the hashtag #NotATarget , calling on all sides to respect international humanitarian law.

The situation in Thailand’s Deep South has been escalating since the New Year. On 28 December 2018, the Ban Kanua Hospital in Narathiwat was taken over and hospital personnel were held hostage. On 11 January, an imam was killed in Rueso District, Narathiwat. And on 18 January, a group of insurgents fired into Rattananuphap Temple in Narathiwat, killing two monks and injuring another two.

In response to the situation, social media users have started sharing pictures of religious leaders, places of religion, students, schools and hospitals, along with the hashtag #NotATarget, indicating that no one deserves to be made a target of violence, especially soft targets, no one should be suspected of a crime without evidence, and that unlawful arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances need to stop.

The Not A Target campaign aims to send a message to organizations and insurgent groups by sharing pictures of soft targets that should not be attacked, trying to raise awareness of the negative effect of violence on their political causes, and calling for all groups to respect International Humanitarian Law. The campaign also aims to make ending the conflict in the Deep South part of the national agenda.