Bomb blasts in southern Thailand heard from Malaysia

A series of bomb blasts and gunshots occurred in the border town of Tak Bai in Narathiwat on Thailand’s southern border last night. Assailants launched a series of attacks at 2 police stations, a military unit and a market, injuring three police officers. The bombs could be heard in Pengkalan Kubor in Kelantan on the Malaysian side of the border.

At around 9:30pm, Facebook page ‘This is Narathiwat’ reported that multiple explosions and shots were fired at Tabara Police Station and at a military unit in Tak Bai district. The page warned locals not to leave the house.

At 10:40pm, local news reported that the sound of clashes could still be heard intermittently at a nearby market. The report said six assailants riding motorbikes threw homemade improvised explosive devices and shot guns at Nam Bai Police Station, injuring three police officers.

The police officers were admitted to Tak Bai hospital and are now in a stable condition.

The separatist insurgency in Thailand’s Deep South region – encompassing Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and some parts of Songkhla – has claimed the lives of more than 7,300 people since 2004. Read The Thaiger’s article on the history of the ongoing Southern Thailand Insurgency HERE.

Representatives symbolic of the Thai state, e.g. police officers, are often the targets of violent attacks in Thailand’s southern border region – historically the Kingdom of Patani. Different separatist groups demand different things, some aim for complete liberation of the Deep South, while some call for better living conditions and opportunities for residents in Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and some parts of Songkhla.

No one has taken responsibility for yesterday’s attacks.

SOURCE: KhaoSod, ThaiPBS, This is Narathiwat