A suitcase left in front of a mayor's house sparked bomb fears in Thailand's conflict-torn south.

Officers deployed an explosive ordnance team to investigate the luggage seemingly dumped at a convenience store opposite the official's home in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla province on November 3.

Footage shows police cordoning off the road as a drone was flown overhead to survey the area. High-pressure water cannons were then used to destroy the suitcase.

Police Colonel Phum Banthip, superintendent of the Hat Yai station, said: 'After destroying the suspicious bag, an inspection found that inside were men's clothes and personal items. CCTV footage was reviewed to find the bag's owner.'

A van driver later arrived at the police station to collect the bag. He claimed it belonged to one of his passengers, and he had allegedly forgotten to retrieve it after cleaning his vehicle.

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the southernmost provinces of Thailand next to the border with Muslim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.

Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland.

The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.

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.