Army plays down attacks

A coordinated wave consisting of 51 separate attacks took place across the southern Thai provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala.

Lt Gen Norathip Phoynok, the Fourth Army Area commander, downplayed the significance of the coordinated violence, suggesting that the primary motives behind the incidents were to discredit state officials and to retaliate against an ongoing crackdown on illicit trade in the region.