One injured in multiple bomb attacks in Thailand’s deep south

BANGKOK (Reuters): At least one person was injured in multiple bomb attacks in Thailand’s southern province of Yala, police said on Saturday.

At least 13 small explosions struck the town of Yala late on Friday, mostly on roadsides in front of convenience stores, shops, a market, an animal hospital and a car care shop, said deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen.

Police on Saturday found at least three unexploded improvised explosive devices, made of spray cans and metal pipes with timers attached.

Kissana said police suspect the explosions were aimed at causing a disturbance more than damage or injuries.

A decades-old separatist insurgency in predominantly Buddhist Thailand’s largely ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat has claimed the lives of more than 7,300 people since 2004, according to the Deep South Watch group which monitors the violence.

Rebel groups have called for independence for these provinces bordering Malaysia, which were part of a sultanate called Patani annexed by Thailand in 1909 as part of a treaty with Britain.

Friday’s bombing came just weeks after the Thai government restarted a peace dialogue with the main insurgent group after a two-year break of talks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As with most attacks in Thailand’s deep south, there was no claim of responsibility for the Friday bomb attacks.

The main rebel group, Barisan Revolusi Nasional did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.