At least three people were killed by a bomb explosion as suspected terrorists attacked southern Thailand.

Alleged insurgents arrived at a border checkpoint in Sungai Kolok City in Narathiwat province, and peppered the nearby district office with gunfire, on March 8 evening.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows the black-clad attackers dismounting from a vehicle and firing at the government building. They then detonated explosives and continued their barrage of gunshots as smoke blanketed the road.

They later fled the scene on a pickup truck.

Authorities said two paramilitary volunteers were killed and 11 others were injured. A ranger was killed and two local officials were wounded in a similar attack in neighbouring Pattani province that same evening.

Roads leading to Sungai Kolok district have been closed for security.

Lieutenant General Paisan Noosang, Fourth Army commander, said: 'I have ordered all security units to hunt down the perpetrators responsible. The security alert level has been raised throughout the province, especially in Sungai Kolok and Sungai Padi.'

The suspected Islamist extremist attacks happened during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Thai non-profit Deep South Watch said at least 136 people have been killed and 387 injured in 666 alleged terrorist attacks from January 2024 to January 2025.

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim 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.