Thailand’s Deep South Hit By Attacks
Fifty-one bombings, shootings and arson attacks struck Thailand’s Deep South in just four hours on Saturday night, triggering a major security deployment across the region.
The attacks hit Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani between 20:00 and midnight, with government buildings, vehicles and infrastructure among the targets. At least three people were injured.
Footage from Narathiwat shows smoke still rising from burnt-out vehicles in the aftermath of the attacks. Footage also shows soldiers and police deployed across the province, manning checkpoints and securing damaged sites.
The exact time and location of the footage cannot be independently verified.
Dozens Of Incidents Reported
Authorities later raised the weekend total to at least 78 incidents across four southern provinces, including 40 in Narathiwat, 21 in Yala, 15 in Pattani and two in Songkhla.
The attacks included bombings, gunfire and arson targeting local government offices, telecommunications towers, electricity infrastructure, railway lines, vehicles and shops. A bomb damaged railway tracks in Narathiwat, forcing the suspension of services on part of the route.
Narathiwat was hit hardest. Three civilians, two women and a 21-year-old man, were wounded in a roadside bombing and taken to hospital in a stable condition. Authorities also imposed an overnight curfew as security forces moved to bring the province under control.
Security Warnings Raised Earlier
“It’s very depressing. We don’t know when it will end. Sometimes, when everything is calm and peaceful, we think maybe it won’t happen again. But before long, it happens again,” one villager said.
The attacks came despite security agencies receiving intelligence for nearly two months that government buildings, shops and electricity infrastructure could be targeted. Southern army commander Lieutenant General Norathip Poinok said authorities had been warned of possible attacks, but did not know exactly when or where they would strike.
No group has claimed responsibility. Thai security officials said investigators were examining several possible motives and had not formally attributed the attacks solely to the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, or BRN, the main separatist group active in the region.
Long-Running Southern Insurgency
Thailand’s predominantly Malay-Muslim Deep South has been gripped by a separatist insurgency for more than two decades, centred on Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani.
More than 7,800 people have been killed since the latest phase of the conflict erupted in 2004, as separatist groups have fought the Thai state over political control and greater autonomy or independence.
CGTN, via Viory.Video
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