Insurgents wreak havoc in deep South

Convenience stores, tyres and power poles were set on fire, resulting in one death during Ramadan

Suspected insurgents set fire to multiple spots in the three southernmost border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat overnight, police reported on Friday.

In Pattani, four convenience stores in Muang, Yaring, Yarang and Khok Pho districts were set ablaze. Car tyres were set on fire at three locations – two in Khok Pho and another in Panare.

Pol Col Jeffrey Saimankun, chief of Pattani’s Muang district police, led officers to investigate a 7-Eleven convenience store in tambon Puyud after receiving reports that the place was torched around 1am. 

Firefighters and fire trucks were deployed to the scene, taking about one hour to bring the blaze under control.

Employees told police that three armed men arrived at the store, fired shots into the sky and threatened to kill them if they refused to leave. This prompted all to flee. The gunmen then poured petrol over the counter and set it alight before fleeing on a motorcycle.

Police found three cartridges and one bullet at the scene.

Shortly later, an unknown number of assailants set fire to other locations in Pattani, including a convenience store in tambon Bang Poo of Yaring and another store in tambon Makrud of Khok Pho. Car tyres were burned on Na Pradu-Sai Khao road and another road in an area between Sai Buri and Panare.

Police cordon off a convenience store in Yala on Friday morning after it was set on fire. (Photo: Abdullah Benjakat)

Combined teams of police, soldiers and local officials set up road checkpoints in many areas to search suspected vehicles to prevent assailants from carrying out more attacks.

According to a local source, insurgents wreaked havoc in many locations in 12 districts of the three southern border provinces. 

In Yala, arson attacks occurred in seven locations. A furniture shop in Bannang Sata district was set on fire in the early hours of Friday. A power pole in Raman district and a telephone signal pole in Yaha district were also torched. Car tyres were set on fire and metal spikes scattered over on several roads. 

In Narathiwat, car tyres were burned in Bacho district.

Col Ekwarit Chobchuphon, spokesman to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 Forward Command, said on Friday that assailants wreaked havoc on more than 30 locations in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

One person was found dead at a new petrol station in Pattani, said Col Ekwarit.

A source at Isoc said one death was a Myanmar woman working at a convenience store in the compound of the petrol station in Pattani’s Mayo district. There were 39 attacks that took place from 1am until Friday morning, said the source.

“Security authorities believe the attack are intended to create unrest to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tak Bai tragedy according to the 11 cycles of the Islamic calendar during the Ramadan. The date is not the same (as our calendar) as the 20th anniversary will be on Oct 25,” said the spokesman.

He said the insurgents aimed to destroy the local economy, undermine public confidence in security officers, and create unrest to disrupt the atmosphere of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins from March 11 to April 9 this year.