Bangkok, Thailand. Over 20 plus terrorist bombing attacks took place today in the southern part of the country. Amazingly nobody was harmed or killed in the unparalleled violence.
Thai authorities reported nearly two dozen terrorist and bomb attacks across Thailand’s violence torn south shortly after midnight, the army said on Friday, causing widespread power cuts but no casualties in the Muslim region. The region has erupted with violence for over a decade as ethnic Malay rebels battle Thai troops for more autonomy, claiming more than 6,800 lives.
The violence, which saw tires set alight and dozens of electricity poles damaged by explosives, struck only hours after Thailand’s king Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a new military backed charter into law. Thailand’s border region was one of few areas to reject the ruling junta’s constitution in a referendum that saw the document approved last year.
Thailands new charter curbs the power of elected lawmakers and will bolster the military’s role in government even after the junta steps down following elections which are expected in late 2018. Friday’s violence was most likely revenge for the killing of two suspected rebels by security forces last month experts in the area believe.
The region has been hit by a string of suspected rebel assaults since a fatal shooting on March 29, including one that saw around 30 militants open fire on a police checkpoint in Yala province, injuring 12 officers.
Thailand’s government, which seized power in 2014, has held several rounds of talks with a group that claims to represent the insurgents. However, the negotiations have failed to make headway and many doubt the rebel negotiators have influence over fighters on the ground.