The makeshift Bun Boong Sinae Village Market in Thailand's southernmost district of Betong has been witnessing robust sales of second-hand cold weather gear brought in from Malaysia.

The district continues to turn out pleasant surprises in Yala, where deadly insurgent attacks are carried out on a near-daily basis in other districts.

Betong seldom has insurgency-related incidents and remains a popular destination for ethnic Malay and Chinese tourists from Malaysia, who are attracted by it beautiful natural attractions, great food, relatively inexpensive accommodations and nightlife.

While sometimes rainy, the temperature remains between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius year-round and most residents only wear jackets as protection from the sun.

Despite this, the appearance of high-quality, second-hand cold weather gear brought a flurry of activity to the market, where buyers eagerly snapped up items in bulk.

The most enthusiastic buyers were Thais who migrated thousands of kilometres from the northern part of the country. Although the North, Thailand's coldest region, has a mean minimum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius, heating systems are virtually unheard of and people occasionally die of exposure during record low periods due to lack of cold-weather gear.

Soo Mate brought his family to Betong from the northern province of Phayao to work on a construction project after relatives told him it was safe and that locals gave a warm welcome to migrant workers.

"We have found it to be very safe and free of the unrest that has affected other parts of the southern border region," he told Khabar Southeast Asia. "These clothes are in good condition and the costs are not too expensive, so I am stocking up and will send them north."

In what is becoming an annual trend, many people flock to Betong to buy used items in bulk and ship them off to friends and families in their home towns as temperatures begin to drop.

"At this time of year the garments that sell best are used seua kan naow ('clothes to stop the cold'). They are not only cheap, but of high quality. The prices we are getting for them this year have not changed too much from the same period last year. Starting prices are Bt. 100 ($3.15) to Bt. 300 ($9.45), more for really good quality stuff," Waehama Jabakiya, one of the busy vendors, told Khabar.

Waehama also sells blankets and leather and fur-lined jackets.

"Many northerners who have come to work here in Betong are stocking up on these items and others like quilts and warm-up pants to send to relatives and friends back home," he said.

Supawadee, who hails from the northern province of Loei but works in Betong, said, "The cold season is arriving sooner than expected back home, so now is the time to take advantage of these second-hand warm clothes and blankets at such low prices. … Such clothes and blankets are very expensive there; some people cannot afford them, and there is no second-hand market for such items there like the one here in Betong."