At least one person was killed and nine injured in a series of bomb attacks suspected to have been carried out by an Islamic militant group in southern Thailand.
According to major local media on the 21st, a volunteer from the local patrol in the Sukirin area of Narathiwat Province died and six others were injured due to a bomb explosion on the morning of the previous day. On the same day, a bomb also exploded in the Cho-airong area of Narathiwat Province, injuring three volunteers.
The assailants engaged in a gunfight with the patrol before fleeing. Subsequently, two more homemade bombs were found at the scene. While the group claiming responsibility has not yet appeared, given that the incident occurred during talks between the Thai government and the main Islamic militant group, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), there is speculation that a hardline Islamic militant group is behind the attack. Thai authorities and the BRN have been holding a workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, since the 19th to discuss ways to halt violence in the southern region.
Although Thailand is a Buddhist country, the three southern provinces of Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani, collectively known as the 'Deep South,' along with parts of Songkhla Province, are closer culturally, religiously, and ethnically to the Islamic world of Malaysia. Islamic militant groups have been demanding separatist independence and have been carrying out terrorism and armed conflicts in the south.
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