Suspected Islamic militants staged about 40 bomb and arson attacks in Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces late on Tuesday, injuring at least one, officials said.
The attacks struck government and civilian targets including the homes of local officials and a train station in Thailand’s three restive provinces along the southern border with Malaysia, they said.
“It was an effort to disturb the provinces in the south, including about 40 cases of shootings, burning rubber tires, arson, bombings and petrol bombs in the three provinces,” Lieutenant General Ongkorn Thongtrasom, the region’s top military official, told reporters.
He said the situation was now calm with four suspects arrested.
“We have the situation under control and have arrested four suspects,” Ongkorn said.
“We are monitoring the intelligence information closely. We knew that the separatists wanted to do something, but this was an unexpected incident,” he added.
Police said the attacks began around 8.30pm local time. Only one person had been reported injured so far, they said.
“People should not worry about the situation,” Ongkorn said.
Nearly 1Â 400 people have died in more than two years of unrest in Thailand’s Muslim-majority provinces. — AFP