Fresh Deep South violence hits Pattani as armed men bomb a store, torch a ten-wheel truck and attack roads and CCTV cameras. It comes three days after a ranger was killed in Narathiwat and amid a widening September attack sequence.
Thailand’s Deep South came under fresh attack early Wednesday as masked gunmen bombed a Pattani store, torched a truck, scattered tyre spikes and burned CCTV cameras. The coordinated assault came three days after a ranger was killed in Narathiwat. Just 12 days earlier, a 50kg roadside bomb killed two volunteers and wounded 16. Yala has also been hit this month, extending a violent sequence that follows the massive August 22 wave across four southern provinces.
A bomb, arson attacks and coordinated disruption struck Pattani shortly after midnight on Wednesday. Masked gunmen targeted several locations across Nong Chik district during the early hours of September 30. The attacks involved explosives, fire, tyre spikes, caltrops and the destruction of CCTV cameras. No casualties were reported.
The main attack centred on Sri Samai Super Store at Ban Don Yang in Bo Thong subdistrict. Police said six or seven masked, armed men arrived aboard four motorcycles. They stopped a truck driver and security guard near the premises. The attackers then placed an improvised explosive device weighing about 10kg at the entrance.
Shortly afterwards, the device detonated at about 1 am. The attackers also set a ten-wheel truck ablaze at the scene. Despite the blast and subsequent fire, nobody was killed or injured. The attackers then left the area as emergency services were called.
Security teams fan out across Nong Chik after bomb attack as road hazards and CCTV fires are uncovered
In response, Bo Thong Municipality personnel and other responders rushed to the scene. Firefighters extinguished the burning truck and brought the immediate situation under control. Meanwhile, security personnel sealed off the area surrounding the store. Specialist teams were called in to inspect the blast site and collect evidence.
Yet the attack extended well beyond the store. Several incidents were reported elsewhere across Nong Chik district at approximately the same time. Security personnel were consequently dispatched to several locations as reports of road hazards and damaged surveillance equipment emerged.
Separately, attackers scattered tyre spikes near a Shell petrol station at Ban Ko Mo Khaeng. Caltrops were also discovered on a road in Tha Kam Cham subdistrict. Both incidents created additional hazards across roads in the district. Officials subsequently inspected the affected routes and gathered evidence.
On another front, CCTV equipment was attacked at two separate locations in Bang Khao subdistrict. One camera near a village entrance was damaged by fire. Another CCTV camera outside a school was also burned. Officials later examined both sites as part of the wider investigation.
Police examine links between Pattani attacks as fatal Narathiwat ambush adds to September violence
Investigators were examining whether the separate incidents were carried out by the same group. They also examined possible connections between the bombing, truck fire and road disruption. As part of this, security personnel remained deployed across the affected areas. Residents were asked to avoid locations still undergoing inspection.
Notably, the Nong Chik operation was not Pattani’s first bombing during September. Earlier this month, a motorcycle bomb detonated as a police patrol vehicle passed another location. The blast damaged the police pickup. However, the officers travelling inside escaped injury.
Wednesday’s violence also came only three days after a fatal ambush in neighbouring Narathiwat province. Gunmen attacked a Ranger Company 4515 patrol on Saturday evening, September 27. The shooting occurred at about 6.30 pm around Ban Kuching Luepa in Chaloem subdistrict. The area lies within Ra-ngae district.
During the attack, Volunteer Ranger Sukran Lateh, 32, was seriously wounded by gunfire. He later died from his injuries. Afterwards, security personnel searched the scene and surrounding area for evidence. Investigators reportedly found spent 5.56mm cartridge cases at a suspected firing position.
Narathiwat ambush site was 50 metres from patrol as earlier 50kg bomb attack killed two volunteers
Significantly, the suspected ambush position was only about 50 metres from the patrol. At the time, the rangers were participating in the security forces’ “Phithak Ra-ngae” operation. Investigators continued gathering evidence after the fatal shooting. Security operations also continued across the district.
Nine days earlier, Narathiwat had suffered a substantially larger and deadlier attack. On September 18, insurgents targeted a six-wheel truck carrying 18 Volunteer Defence Corps personnel. The attack occurred in Sukhirin district as the group returned from a boat-racing event.
A bomb weighing approximately 50kg had been buried beneath the road. It detonated as the six-wheel truck passed over the site. The force of the explosion overturned the vehicle. Then, gunmen opened fire on the Volunteer Defence Corps personnel following the blast.
Two volunteers were killed. Another 16 were wounded, with several suffering critical injuries. Accordingly, all 18 personnel aboard the vehicle were either killed or wounded. The operation combined a large buried bomb with subsequent gunfire against the stricken group.
Yala attacks follow deadly Sukhirin ambush with arson, tyre spikes and CCTV destruction across district
Within two days, another series of attacks struck neighbouring Yala province. The violence occurred during the early hours of September 20. Attackers targeted several locations around Bannang Sata district and Highway 410. Once again, the incidents were dispersed across several locations.
In parallel, tyres were burned and tyre spikes scattered across roads. Attackers also destroyed CCTV cameras during the operation. Elsewhere, construction machinery was set ablaze. A civilian vehicle was also burned as security personnel responded across the area.
Taken together, the September incidents have repeatedly forced security personnel to respond across multiple attack scenes. The sequence began with the September 18 Sukhirin ambush. Two Volunteer Defence Corps personnel were killed and 16 wounded. Several of the wounded were critically injured.
Two days afterwards, coordinated violence struck Yala. Those incidents included arson, CCTV destruction, tyre spikes and attacks on construction equipment. A civilian vehicle was also burned. The attacks were concentrated around Bannang Sata and Highway 410.
Violence returns to Narathiwat and Pattani after Yala attacks as August wave remains under scrutiny
A week later, violence returned to Narathiwat. Gunmen struck the Ranger Company 4515 patrol in Ra-ngae on September 27. Volunteer Ranger Sukran Lateh was fatally wounded. Investigators later found 5.56mm cartridge cases near the scene.
Three days afterwards, Nong Chik district became the latest attack site. This time, an improvised bomb targeted commercial premises. A ten-wheel truck was then burned. At other locations, attackers scattered tyre spikes and caltrops across roads.
At the same time, two CCTV cameras were burned in Bang Khao subdistrict. One stood near a village entrance. The other was outside a school. Further road disruption was reported in Tha Kam Cham and near Ban Ko Mo Khaeng.
The September violence followed a much larger wave across Thailand’s Deep South on August 22. Coordinated attacks were reported across Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Parts of neighbouring Songkhla were also struck.
Official and media counts initially varied as individual incidents were checked. Nevertheless, scores of locations were affected across the four southern provinces. The attacks involved bombs, arson and gunfire. Commercial premises and government property were among the targets.
August attacks spread across four provinces before September violence brought fresh deaths in Narathiwat
Crucially, many August incidents occurred simultaneously or within closely connected periods. They were also spread across geographically separated locations. Security personnel therefore faced numerous attack scenes across four provinces during the same period.
Since then, September has brought further attacks across Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. Narathiwat suffered the heaviest casualties among the incidents detailed this month. The September 18 Sukhirin attack killed two Volunteer Defence Corps personnel. Another 16 were wounded.
Subsequently, Volunteer Ranger Sukran Lateh was killed in the September 27 Ra-ngae ambush. The two Narathiwat attacks therefore killed three security personnel within nine days. Another 16 personnel were wounded in the earlier attack.
Yala, meanwhile, suffered widespread disruption during the September 20 attacks. Roads, surveillance equipment, construction machinery and a civilian vehicle were targeted. Tyre spikes were also scattered around Bannang Sata and Highway 410.
Pattani attackers strike store, roads and CCTV cameras as investigators examine links across Nong Chik
Pattani was then hit again before dawn on Wednesday. The attackers struck commercial property, roads and surveillance equipment across Nong Chik district. Their main operation began with armed men arriving at Sri Samai Super Store aboard four motorcycles.
First, the men stopped the truck driver and security guard. Next, they placed an approximately 10kg bomb at the store entrance. The device then detonated. A ten-wheel truck was subsequently set on fire.
At nearby locations, further incidents unfolded during roughly the same period. Tyre spikes appeared near the Shell petrol station at Ban Ko Mo Khaeng. Caltrops were scattered across a road in Tha Kam Cham. Two CCTV cameras were burned in Bang Khao.
Consequently, Wednesday morning’s security response extended far beyond the original bomb scene. Personnel were deployed across several parts of Nong Chik district. Officials examined the damaged cameras, road hazards and the Sri Samai Super Store blast site.
By Wednesday, investigators were continuing to collect evidence across the affected areas. They were also examining whether one group carried out the separate incidents. Security personnel remained deployed while those inspections continued.
Latest Pattani attacks leave no casualties after deadly Narathiwat violence and major August assault wave
For now, no deaths or injuries have been reported from the latest Pattani attacks. However, they followed two deadly Narathiwat attacks during the previous 12 days. Those incidents killed three security personnel and wounded another 16.
More broadly, Wednesday’s violence came barely five weeks after the large August 22 wave. That operation hit scores of locations across four southern provinces. Bombs, gunfire and arson were used against commercial and government targets.
Assistant Headman dies in Yala attack on night of mayhem in the southern province into Sunday
Another southern insurgency attack saw a 7-Eleven store burnt out in Pattani on Monday as PM responds
Since September 18, attacks have involved a 50kg roadside bomb, gunfire, arson and attacks on surveillance equipment. They have also included tyre spikes, caltrops and a 10kg bomb outside commercial premises. Investigations into Wednesday’s attacks continued across Nong Chik district.
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Further reading:
Assistant Headman dies in Yala attack on night of mayhem in the southern province into Sunday
Major onslaught across southern provinces as region is rocked by bombs, arson and attacks by gunmen
Ranger killed in heavy Narathiwat security operation. Extended battle between army and insurgents
Police officer’s wife killed in troubled Pattani province on Monday holding her baby by hajib gunmen
