Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said police have not received any reports of Malaysians being affected by a series of simultaneous violent incidents across three southern Thailand provinces last night.
He urged Malaysians to exercise caution and consider postponing trips to the affected areas, particularly when travel is not urgent, amid the latest security developments.
“The advice is not new and has been conveyed several times to Malaysians planning to travel to southern Thailand,” he said at a press conference here today.
Mohd Yusoff said the same warning had been issued to a group of high-powered motorcycle riders from Ducati Malaysia who are currently in Kelantan and were planning to enter Thailand today, including Hat Yai.
“I advised them not to enter Hat Yai as there were 51 incidents in three provinces in southern Thailand last night,” he said.
He also advised Malaysians who need to travel to Thailand to remain vigilant and take the prevailing security situation into account throughout their stay.
The advice is in line with the Foreign Ministry’s position, which does not prohibit Malaysians from travelling to Thailand but urges them to take the necessary precautions.
Thailand’s Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 (ISOC 4) said authorities would continue monitoring the situation, while directing relevant units to speed up investigations and strengthen security measures to protect the public and restore normalcy.
Narathiwat was earlier placed under a curfew from 10.15pm on Aug 22 until 5am on Aug 23. More than 50 incidents, including bomb blasts, fires involving local government offices and tyre burnings, were reported across the three southern provinces.
Meanwhile, loud sounds resembling thunder from the direction of Narathiwat reportedly caused houses in Kampung Lubok Gong and Kampung Tersang in Rantau Panjang, near the Malaysia-Thailand border, to shake last night, raising concern among residents.
Mohd Yusoff also said police had received information that Thai authorities were intensifying traffic enforcement operations, including against Malaysian vehicles found violating local regulations.
He advised Malaysians driving in Thailand to comply with the country’s traffic rules to avoid being penalised by the Thai authorities.
