Thailand’s south rocked by wave of bomb and arson attacks

Not less than 17 bomb and arson assaults occurred in a single day in Thailand’s southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Thai navy personnel search the location of a roadside bomb blast within the southern province of Pattani, Thailand, in 2017 [Surapan Boonthanom/Reuters]

Explosions and fires have ripped by way of no less than 17 places in southern Thailand, authorities stated, in what seemed to be a number of coordinated assaults that injured a number of individuals.

The bombings and arson assaults occurred late on Tuesday and within the early hours of Wednesday morning, navy and police officers stated.

Not less than 17 assaults occurred within the southern provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, largely at small outlets and fuel stations, navy spokesperson Pramote Promin stated. Not less than three civilians have been reported injured.

Nobody has claimed duty for the assaults up to now.

Police Captain Sarayuth Kotchawong stated he acquired a report shortly earlier than midnight that a suspect had entered a store at a fuel station in Yala’s Yaha district, positioned a black bag inside and warned staff to go away in the event that they “don't need to die”.

The employees left earlier than the bag exploded 10 minutes later.

Provinces in southern Thailand alongside the border with Malaysia have seen a decades-long, low-level insurrection, through which the Thai authorities has battled teams looking for independence for the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and elements of Songkhla.

Greater than 7,300 individuals have been killed within the battle since 2004, based on the Deep South Watch group, which screens the violence.

Discontent in southern provinces

Muslim Thai individuals within the south have lengthy charged they're handled like second-class residents within the Buddhist-dominated nation. Heavy-handed crackdowns by the Thai authorities have additionally fuelled discontent in southern provinces.

Army spokesman Pramote stated the attackers have been on bikes and in lots of instances threw petrol bombs at their targets.

“It's clear that the insurgents stay dedicated to utilizing violence on individuals, damaging confidence within the financial system, creating uncertainty and undermining the federal government system,” he stated.

The wave of assaults comply with after the Thai authorities earlier this 12 months restarted discussions with the principle insurgent group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, after a two-year hiatus as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.

Peace talks that started in 2013 have confronted repeated disruptions.

The Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), which was sidelined from the most recent spherical of talks, carried out bombings throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, claiming the dialogue with the federal government will not be inclusive. The organisation’s chief, Kasturi Makhota, informed Reuters that the most recent assaults have “nothing to do with PULO”.

The federal government has stated it is able to discuss to all teams.

Insurgent teams within the south usually stage hit-and-run assaults, akin to drive-by shootings and ambushes with roadside bombs. They're additionally identified for infrequent coordinated assaults when looking for to make a political level with a present of power.

In November 2019, gunmen killed 15 village defence volunteers and wounded 5 safety personnel in what was believed to be the deadliest assault on authorities forces because the insurrection started.