Unrest has prevailed in the southernmost region for more than a decade and yesterday’s attacks underlined the fact that violence continues.

Unknown saboteurs bombed power poles and burned tyres on the roads in five districts of Narathiwat, one of the southern border provinces, early yesterday.

They also flew banners criticising the government.

Police said two power poles were felled by two homemade bombs on the Tak Bai-Narathiwat road in Moo 5 village in Tambon Praiwan of Tak Bai district.

Police found a third homemade bomb, which had not yet exploded, attached to another pole and disposed of it with a water cannon.

Police said the explosions occurred at about 4am, which was at almost the same time as similar incidents in Bacho, Rusoh, Sugnai Kolok and Sungai Padi districts.

In Rusoh, saboteurs also burned tyres and communication cables in Moo 2 village in Tambo Rusoh.

In Sugnai Padi, they set a roofed bus stop on fire in Moo 3 and Moo 4 villages in Tambon Tohdeng and hung banners attacking the government. In Sungai Kolok, tyres were burned on the Monoh-Sugnai Kolok road in Moo 3 village in Tambon Pasemus.

Two cellular towers were torched by suspected ethnic Malay insurgents in the southern border province of Yala, and tyres were set alaight simultaneous in eight different locations. Banners were also hung in several locations in the province.

Tyres burned

Police said the incidents occurred at nearly the same pre-dawn time in Muang, Bannang Sata, Krong Pinang and Than To districts. No one was injured.

TrueMove H towers in the Tambon Prom villages of Moo 2 and Moo 5 in Muang district were set on fire, damaging equipment.

The same two towers had been damaged in arson attacks in 2016.

The insurgents also set fire to tyres on a road in Ban Lam Mai village in Tambon Lam Mai in Muang district.

In Bannang Sata, tyres were burned in three locations in Tambon Tanoh Puteh |and a banner was hung condemning the government of “Siam” for stealing the resources of the “State of Patani” and using development projects as a form of permanent occupation.

In Krong Pinang, tyres were piled across roads and set afire in two villages in Tambon Sa-ae.

A message painted on one road said, “The people do not want troops. Soldiers must leave the independent State of Patani.” Tyres were also torched in Thanto’s Tambon Than To in locales about one kilometre apart and a banner was erected similar to that in Bannang Sata.

In the southern border province of Pattani, similar attacks were reported with phone poles being set alight.

Authorities have not provided information on whether telecom services are affected by the attacks.

Neither have they released the estimated cost of damages.

In the southern border province of Songkhla insurgents flew three banners attacking the government at three spots.