NARATHIWAT — Three defense volunteers sustained minor injuries on Wednesday night when insurgents detonated a remote-controlled car bomb targeting a security outpost in Tak Bai district. The attack marks the second use of a vehicle-borne explosive in Narathiwat this year.

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According to police reports, a suspect parked an explosive-laden passenger car near a furniture shop approximately 10 meters from the Salamai outpost. The driver exited the vehicle but left the engine running and the car in gear, allowing it to drift slowly toward the outpost’s protective sandbag wall. The perpetrator then fled on a waiting motorcycle.

Approximately 200 meters away, a pillion rider on the motorcycle triggered the explosion remotely. The blast damaged the outpost’s defenses and lightly wounded three volunteers stationed there. No civilians were reported injured.

A car bomb attack in Thailand’s Narathiwat injured 4 officers. Authorities blame separatist insurgents; the army orders tighter border security.#Thailand #Narathiwat #Security pic.twitter.com/XiGDZRhIY3

— 侦查者 (@Yongrang168) August 21, 2025

Police confirmed this is the second car bomb incident in Narathiwat in 2024, following a March 8 explosion near the Su-Ngai Kolok district office. Since the southern insurgency began in 2004, 67 car bombs have been recorded across the Deep South, with Narathiwat accounting for 28 attacks, followed by Pattani (19), Yala (15), and Songkhla (4). A 2015 bombing on Samui Island was also linked to southern insurgent groups.

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Security forces have launched a manhunt for the suspects and heightened vigilance in the region. The attack underscores ongoing challenges in curbing violence in Thailand’s southern border provinces despite intensified counter-insurgency efforts.

-Thailand News (TN)