Dozens of attacks in southern Thailand wound three people

Dozens of coordinated arson and incendiary attacks across Thailand’s south left at least three people wounded and government property burned, the military has said.

Multiple local government offices and several vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the 51 attacks late on Saturday, according to the military’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC).

“Multiple coordinated incidents aimed at creating unrest occurred in various locations across the southern border provinces” from about 8pm (13:00 GMT) to midnight on Saturday, the ISOC 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.

Most of the attacks were in Narathiwat province, where three civilians were wounded and an overnight curfew was imposed, while other attacks occurred in neighbouring Yala and Pattani provinces, authorities said.

Since 2004, a low-level conflict has simmered in the southernmost provinces of Buddhist-majority Thailand, killing more than 7,000 people, as rebels in the Muslim-majority region battle for greater autonomy.

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.

All three were admitted to hospital and were in stable condition.