The bombings and arson attacks took place after midnight and targeted convenience stores and gas stations in three provinces, leaving at least seven people slightly injured, according to police and military statements. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Provinces in southern Thailand along the Malaysian border have experienced a decades-long, low-level insurgency in which the Thai government has battled shadowy groups seeking independence for the predominantly Muslim provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla. A shop is seen after an explosion ripped through southern Thailand’s Yala province in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks at various locations, in Yala, Thailand, August 17, 2022. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom read more More than 7,300 people have been killed in the conflict since 2004, according to the violence-monitoring group Deep South Watch. Peace talks that began in 2013 have faced repeated interruptions. Wednesday’s attacks came after the Thai government earlier this year restarted talks with the main rebel group, Barisan Revolusi Nasional, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. read more The Patani United Liberation Organization (PULO), which was sidelined from the latest round of talks, carried out bombings during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, claiming that the dialogue does not include exclusion. The government has said it is ready to talk to all groups. read more The group’s leader, Kasturi Mahota, told Reuters Wednesday’s attacks “have nothing to do with PULO”. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Reported by Panu Wongcha-um? Edited by Kanupriya Kapoor Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
