A series of attacks targeted gas stations in the southern provinces of Thailand on the night of Saturday to Sunday January 11, leaving at least one police officer injured, according to local authorities.
The attacks began shortly after 1 a.m. and affected a total of eleven sites located in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. Narathiwat was the most affected province, with six stations damaged.
According to police, the attackers moved in groups and were armed with military-style rifles. They planted explosive devices and set fire to fuel pumps, businesses adjacent to gas stations and, in one case, a tanker truck. In Ra-ngae district, a police officer was injured by shrapnel while responding to an explosion at a PTT station. He was taken to hospital. No civilian casualties were reported.
Two other explosions were recorded in the province of Pattani and three in that of Yala, bringing the total number of sites targeted to eleven. Rescue teams secured the affected areas, while forensic experts were deployed to carry out initial analyses.
Following these attacks, authorities imposed a nighttime curfew across Narathiwat province, in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., and placed the area under martial law. These enhanced security measures came into effect immediately and will remain in effect until further notice.
According to an initial assessment by the security services, these actions are aimed more at sending a political signal in the run-up to local elections than at causing massive losses. Acting Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul said he had been fully informed of the situation and was working in close coordination with the Fourth Military Region and police forces to restore order and prevent any further outbreak of violence, particularly along the Thai-Malaysian border.
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