The recent bombing and arson attacks at 17 locations in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat may have been motivated by the Thai peace negotiators' refusal to let leading figures in the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist movement set foot in Thailand and meet residents, according to an analyst.
The coordinated attacks on Aug 15 and 17 renewed fears of security violence in the far South as the BRN accepted responsibility for the bombing and setting fire to the locations, mostly convenience stores. One man was killed.
