Sun Mar 09 17:53:06 UTC 2025: **Thailand’s Deep South Rocked by Deadly Attacks; Five Killed, Dozens Wounded**
Bangkok, Thailand – March 9, 2025 – Two coordinated attacks in Thailand’s restive southern provinces of Narathiwat and Pattani claimed the lives of five people and injured over a dozen more on Saturday, March 8, 2025. In Narathiwat, a group of over ten assailants launched a combined assault on the Sungai Kolok district office, near the Malaysian border. The attack involved gunfire, explosives, and detonated bombs, resulting in the deaths of two defense volunteers guarding the office and injuries to 12 others, including four civilians. Separately, a roadside bomb in Pattani’s Saiburi district killed three people – two village assistants and a ranger – and wounded one other.
The attacks are the latest in a long-running low-level conflict that has plagued Thailand’s southernmost provinces since 2004, resulting in over 7,000 deaths. The region, with a predominantly Muslim population, is culturally distinct from the rest of Buddhist-majority Thailand and has seen ongoing rebellions seeking greater autonomy. The area is heavily patrolled by Thai security forces.
In response to the attacks, Thai Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra announced that the number of security personnel working night shifts in the south will be significantly increased. The ongoing violence underscores the continuing instability and challenges faced by the Thai government in the region.
First Piper 