Police were today investigating the terror attacks across the south of Thailand that killed one man and injured seven others.

The explosions targeted 17 convenience stores and connected forecourts owned by prominent global companies Big-C and 7-Eleven operating in the violence-ridden Muslim-majority south.

Insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN) claimed responsibility for the attacks. It criticised the stores for being part of 'capitalism harming local businesses'.

They claimed that the death of a man caught in the fire was accidental as customers were 'warned before the epxlosions'.

The group said: 'The attacks were intended to strike at the power of capitalism, which is spreading fast in Patani. It is the power that is ruining the economies of communities and causing the closure of many community.'

Police said the victim Masarit Mama, 21, was killed in Narathiwat province when he was stuck inside a 7-Eleven store that was set alight. At least seven other people were injured.

The southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - have been blighted by terrorism for several decades, dating back to a deal in 1909 between the British Empire to incorporate the Muslim region into the main country of Siam.

The area's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais and armed separatist groups emerged fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,290 people killed between January 2004 and October 2021. There were an average of 38.8 incidents and 36.7 casualties a month in 2021, according to data from Deep South Watch.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.