Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday emphasised that local police and military units are fully responsible for maintaining public safety in the deep South, following a robbery at a gold shop in Narathiwat on Sunday.
His remarks followed another violent incident that occurred yesterday when an ATM belonging to the Islamic Bank of Thailand in Pattani’s Yarang district was damaged by explosives.
The robbery at a shopping plaza in Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district saw armed assailants make off with over 35.6 million baht worth of gold jewellery.
In response, Mr Anutin said he had instructed the Provincial Police Region 9 and the Fourth Army Region to tighten security operations and step up intelligence efforts across the deep South.
Pol Lt Gen Piyawat Chaloemsri, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 9, also issued a warning to residents and business owners in the southern border provinces, urging heightened vigilance, particularly around ATMs and gold shops during evening and nighttime hours.
Authorities said they believe that the Narathiwat gold heist was carried out to raise funds for a southern separatist network, according to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4.