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Thailand’s Deep South Rocked By 17 Coordinated Bomb and Arson Attacks
Thailand’s Prime Minister has condemned the terrorists behind the coordinated bombing and arson attacks in the country’s deep south on Tuesday.
Explosions and fires have ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand, in what appeared to be coordinated attacks that injured several people.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told a press briefing that security authorities in southern Thailand would hunt down those responsible for the brutal attacks.
The PM has ordered security authorities to accelerate their investigation so those behind these violent acts can be brought to justice as soon as possible. As of yet, no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Major Gen Pramote Prom-in, deputy director of Internal Security Operations, said that the 17 locations were attacked almost simultaneously. There were two attacks in Pattani, six in Yala, and nine in Narathiwat, he reported.
The general declined to engage in speculation about the group behind these attacks. Instead, he said it would be more appropriate to wait until a formal investigation unravels the mystery behind the recent wave of fresh violence in Thailand’s Deep South.
Provinces in Thailand’s deep south along the border with Malaysia have seen a decades-long, low-level rebellion. The Thai government has battled groups seeking independence for the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and Songkhla.
Historically, Muslim Thais in the south have complained of being treated like second-class citizens in a country dominated by Buddhism.
According to Deep South Watch, which monitors the violence, more than 7,300 people have been killed since 2004.
