Thai prime minister meets security chiefs after coordinated attacks in 3
southern provinces
[August 24, 2026]
By GRANT PECK
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand ’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, already
facing a flood crisis in the country’s north, held an urgent meeting on
Sunday with high-level security officials in response to coordinated
violence overnight in three southern provinces where a small-scale
Muslim insurgency is active.
The meeting, held shortly before Anutin flew north to inspect the badly
flooded province of Nan, followed 51 incidents on Saturday night in the
southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
The attackers did not engage with military or police forces. Only three
civilians were known to have been wounded, and they were reported to be
recovering on Sunday.
The violence primarily involved small bombs, arson and other forms of
property damage. The highest-profile target was a 7-Eleven convenience
store in Pattani. A video circulating on social media appeared to show
armed men stalking outside the store while customers and workers fled
before it was set on fire.
A bomb that damaged rail tracks in Narathiwat forced the suspension of
local and long-haul services. It was not clear when they would be
restored due to the uncertain security situation.
As has often been the case with such incidents, no group was immediately
publicly blamed or claimed responsibility for the actions.
However, such attacks are generally believed to be carried out by the
Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, or BRN. It is the major
insurgent group in the south with the organizational means and support
to stage such an action. It is also the group with which the Thai
government has been holding on-again, off-again peace talks.
The three southernmost provinces are the only ones with Muslim
majorities in predominantly Buddhist Thailand and the BRN has said that
it is seeking self-rule for them.
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This image provided by The Government's Internal Security Operations
Command, shows vehicles damaged the night before by arson at a local
government office in Sri Sakhon Subdistrict in Narathiwat province,
Thailand, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (The Government's Internal Security
Operations Command via AP)
Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like
second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have
been periodically active for decades.
Insurgent violence escalated sharply in 2004 and was met with
heavy-handed crackdowns, further fueling discontent. According to
Deep South Watch, a think tank based at the Prince of Songkla
University’s campus in Pattani, 7,837 people have died in the
violence in the past 22 years.
The last major flare-up came in July, when about 10 attackers opened
fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security checkpoint in
Narathiwat. Five paramilitary soldiers were killed and six civilians
were wounded, including a 10-year-old boy.
Don Pathan, an independent security analyst, says the BRN carries
out attacks largely for leverage as it negotiates with the Thai
government.
“From the ground, BRN combatants are turned off by the boasting of
military officials and wanted to use the spike in violence to
demonstrate their capabilities," said Pathan. "Many of the targets
in these latest incidents were civilians, but BRN combatants were
not after body counts. They want to send a stern message to the
Thais of what they are capable of doing.”
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