Thai government promises aid following 44 insurgent fires in South

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin declared on Saturday that the government is stepping in to offer aid and reparation to the victims of the 44 incendiary incidents that swept through Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla the previous day.

In the quest for justice, Srettha has assigned the task of investigating this string of fires to the acting national police chief, Kittirat Phanphet. Furthermore, a phone call was placed to Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian Prime Minister, to deliberate on the occurrence. Malaysia holds a significant role in mediating peace talks between the Thai government and southern rebel groups. There are reports of some rebels possessing dual Thai-Malaysian citizenship.

The prime minister suggested that the culprits behind Friday’s attacks may have been attempting to flex their strength due to the relaxation of security measures in the far south. However, he noted that additional information was necessary to fully comprehend this fresh wave of aggression.

Over 40 locations were set ablaze by suspected insurgents in a synchronized effort to disrupt the peace during the holy month of Ramadan. The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command reported that these strikes took place at 44 different locations across the four provinces from 1am to 1.45pm on Friday. Pattani was hit the hardest with 23 locations, followed by Yala with 12, Narathiwat with 7, and Songkhla with 2.

A female construction worker from Myanmar, who was working at a Pattani gas station, was confirmed dead. Her sleep was tragically interrupted by shrapnel injuries.

A gas cylinder filled with explosives was also found at the gas station in Tambon Koh Jan. Upon discovery, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit was brought in to neutralise the threat.

In Yala, a joint compensation centre has been established in Mueang and Bannang Sata districts, according to Deputy Governor Anan Bunsamran. This centre will be responsible for assessing the damage to properties and the impact on the residents. The evaluation will serve as a basis for calculating the compensation for residents. However, the Deputy Governor was unable to provide a timeframe for this assessment, reported Bangkok Post.

In other developments, Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has received additional funding from the World Bank. This will ensure the continuation of a project aimed at offering remedial assistance to the residents in the far south.