One killed, 30 injured in southern Thailand car bombing

At least one person has been killed and 30 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a police compound in southern Thailand, police said.

Tuesday’s blast in Narathiwat province came shortly after a suspect drove a car into the police accommodation and abandoned it, according to Narathiwat Governor Sanan Pongaksorn.

Police were checking security camera footage to identify the suspect, the governor added.

“We are still clearing the area and the number of injured could increase,” said Lieutenant Colonel Niti Suksan, Narathiwat deputy police commissioner.

The fatality was a police officer, while the injured included both civilians and officers, according to Pornprasit Jantra, director of the Narathiwat Rajanagarindra hospital.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Southern Thailand has witnessed a simmering rebellion since 2004, as fighters in the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and parts of Songkhla, battle for greater autonomy from the state.

More than 7,300 people have been killed in the conflict in the provinces along the border with Malaysia, according to the Deep South Watch group, which monitors the violence.

In August, explosions and fires ripped through at least 17 locations in southern Thailand, in what appeared to be multiple coordinated attacks that injured seven people.

Peace talks that began in 2013 have faced repeated disruptions.