Dozens of coordinated arson and bomb attacks hit southern Thailand

BANGKOK — Suspected insurgents set fire to government buildings, shops, cars ​and utility poles in more than 70 ​locations across Thailand’s insurgency-hit south over the ​weekend, injuring at least three people, in a coordinated series of arson attacks, authorities said.The incidents took place across the country’s southern border provinces between 20:00 local time (13:00 GMT) and midnight on Saturday, the military’s Internal Security Operations Command said in a statement.Firefighters worked to extinguish burning tyres left in the middle of a road and flames inside a 7-Eleven convenience store on Saturday night, while police officers stopped motorists for security checks, footage from the local broadcaster Thai PBS showed.No group has claimed responsibility for the arson attacks.More than 7,800 people have been killed in provinces bordering ‌Malaysia since 2004, when the latest round of a long-running insurgency led mainly by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) flared.Most were reported in Narathiwat province, with others occurring in neighbouring Yala and Pattani.Two women, aged 45 and 46, and a 21-year-old man were hurt in a roadside bombing in Narathiwat, provincial officials said in a statement.Telecommunication towers were set on fire in several locations, with security officials warning residents against touching suspicious objects.Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the Narathiwat province that was lifted on Sunday morning. No further attacks were reported on Sunday.Since 2004, a low-level conflict has simmered in the southernmost provinces of Buddhist-majority Thailand, as rebels in the Muslim-majority region battle for greater autonomy. Since talks facilitated by Malaysia began in 2013, the peace process ​has repeatedly stalled amid changing governments in Bangkok, with internal divisions on both sides.In July, five soldiers were killed in a gun and bomb attack at a checkpoint in Narathiwat, prompting the authorities to postpone a planned dialogue process.Thai media report insurgents often target security officials and government buildings, sometimes ahead of visits by officials to the region.Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and members of his cabinet are scheduled to make a two-day visit to the city of Hat Yai in southern Songkhla province next week to discuss investment projects, flooding prevention and security issues.