Malaysia has issued a travel advisory for its citizens, urging them to avoid southern Thailand following a series of bombings and shootings attributed to suspected insurgents, which resulted in five fatalities and 13 injuries over the weekend.
The violence took place in the southernmost provinces of Thailand, where the majority of the population is ethnic Malay Muslim, amidst a backdrop of a long-standing separatist conflict that has claimed over 7,300 lives since its resurgence in 2004.
According to authorities, assailants targeted a district office and set off a car bomb in the border town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province, a location frequented by Malaysian tourists, leading to the deaths of two Thai security volunteers. In the adjacent Pattani province, a roadside explosion resulted in the deaths of a volunteer ranger and two government officials.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Malaysian foreign ministry strongly advised citizens to defer any non-essential travel to these regions for the time being.
Last year, approximately 4.9 million of the 35.5 million tourists visiting Thailand were from Malaysia, making it the second-largest source of visitors after China.
In response to the recent violence, security measures have been enhanced in the affected areas, as confirmed by Narathiwat governor, Trakul Thotham, who noted that such incidents had not been reported in the past four to five years. He also mentioned that there are still Malaysians present in the region, indicating potential initial impacts from the situation.
