Co-ordinated attacks across the South today

Suspected ethnic Malay insurgents bombed power poles and burned tyres on the roads of five districts of Narathiwat early on Friday, police said. This follows a similar attack this morning in Yala where mobile phone towers were torched along with the same burning of tyres on main roads.

The perpetrators also hung cloth banners criticising the Thai government. Police say two power poles were broken by two homemade bombs on the Tak Bai-Narathiwat road in Moo 5 village in Tambon Praiwan of Tak Bai district. Police found a third homemade bomb, which had not yet exploded, attached to another pole and disposed of it with a water cannon.

The insurgents also hung two banners on each side of the road, alleging that the Thai government or “Siam” was stealing resources of the “State of Pattani” and was using development projects as an excuse to occupy it forever.

Police say the explosions occurred at about 4am in Takbai, which was nearly at the same time as similar incidents in Bacho, Rusoh, Sugnai Kolok and and Sungai Padi districts.

In Rusoh, the insurgents also burned tyres and communication cables in Moo 2 village in Tambo Rusoh. In Sugnai Padi, the insurgents also burned roofed bus stops in Moo 3 and Moo 4 villages in Tambon Tohdeng and hung banners with the same messages attacking the government.

In Sungai Kolok, right on the Malaysian border, tyres were burned on the Monoh-Sugnai Kolok road in Moo 3 village in Tambon Pasemus. The southern border province of Yala also saw two cellular towers torched by suspected ethnic Malay insurgents, along with simultaneous lighting of tyres in eight different locales. Banners were also hung in several locations in the province.

STORY: The Nation