Assailants detonated bombs at nearly a dozen petrol stations across Thailand’s conflict-hit Deep South early Sunday (Jan 11), injuring four people and prompting authorities to raise security to the highest level, the Thai army said.
According to an army statement, a series of coordinated explosions occurred within a 40-minute period shortly after midnight, targeting 11 petrol stations in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The blasts damaged fuel pumps and caused fires at several locations, alarming residents in the volatile region.
Narathiwat Governor Boonchauy Homyamyen told local media that the attacks appeared to be simultaneous. “It happened almost at the same time. A group of an unknown number of men came and detonated bombs which damaged fuel pumps,” he said, adding that one police officer was injured in Narathiwat province.
In Pattani province, a firefighter and two petrol station employees were wounded while responding to the blasts, the army said. All four injured individuals were taken to hospital, and none were reported to be in serious condition, according to a Thai army spokesperson.
Authorities did not announce any arrests or identify suspects behind the attacks. Security officials said investigations were ongoing, with forensic teams examining the blast sites and reviewing CCTV footage from the affected areas.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that initial assessments by security agencies suggested the bombings were intended as a “signal” rather than part of a broader insurgent campaign. He said officials believed the timing was linked to local administrator elections taking place on Sunday and stressed that the attacks were “not aimed at insurgency”.
Nevertheless, the army’s southern commander, Lieutenant General Narathip Phoynok, ordered security measures raised to the “maximum level” throughout the region. He said additional troops were deployed, road checkpoints were reinforced and border surveillance intensified to prevent further incidents.
Thailand’s Deep South, which borders Malaysia, is culturally and religiously distinct from the rest of the country and is home to a Muslim-majority population. The region has been gripped by a low-level insurgency since 2004, with rebels seeking greater autonomy from Buddhist-majority Thailand, which annexed the area more than a century ago.
The conflict has claimed thousands of lives, and although attacks have fluctuated in intensity over the years, security forces and government-linked infrastructure remain frequent targets.
