Economic damage motive behind coordinated attacks in South: Army commander

Suspected insurgents carried out coordinated attacks on at least 39 locations in four southernmost provinces in the early hours of Friday, leaving at least one person dead.

A total of 20 attacks were reported in Pattani, 11 in Yala, six in Narathiwat, and two in Songkhla, according to the Internal Security Operations Command’s Region 4 forward office.

A woman employee of a convenience store in Pattani province, described as a Myanmar national, was killed in an explosion caused by a homemade bomb.

Shanti said the woman was in her room inside the petrol station where her workplace is located. She was injured by an explosion from an improvised explosive device placed by insurgents at a fuel dispenser.

“We would like to express our condolences to the family of the victim,” the general said.

He said the attacks were aimed at causing widespread fears and economic damage in the region rather than causing deaths. He also noted that the attacks had occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims who take part in religious activities and do good deeds. But this group of people [insurgents] opt to inflict suffering on residents in the area,” Shanti said.
 

“Society must condemn these acts that cause trouble to others, and people should become the eyes and ears of law enforcement to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” he added. He asked residents to report any suspicious object or occurrence to authorities.

The commander of the 4th Army Region, which has jurisdiction over southern provinces, also said that he had instructed all relevant units to step up security measures and investigate the attacks to find the assailants.

He said security authorities had been on alert for possible attacks before the start of Ramadan earlier this month. However, the insurgents appeared to choose targets that were in areas far from authorities.