Fears of mounting sectarian violence in Muslim-dominated southern Thailand have grown after bomb blasts rocked three Buddhist temples overnight, officials said.
Police commissioner Prung Boonpadung said the attacks on the symbols of Buddhism marked a new turn in the crisis in the south where the two communities have historically lived alongside each other in peace.
"They want Buddhists to retaliate so the situation will grow more violent. They have changed strategies and are using the strategy of religion now," Prung told AFP.
Police were working on adjusting their approach to the violence in response to the blasts, he said, without elaborating.
The temples were located in three districts of Narathiwat province, which lies next to the Malaysian border and has been hard hit in the spate of violence which erupted at the start of the year.
The devices were planted at the entrace to the temple complexes, and the explosion destroyed the gates, damaged the walls and left two people slightly injured, officials said.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said militant groups in the south, home to most of Thailand's minority Muslim community, were still attempting to create unrest.
"They have the potential (to carry out further attacks) and they also have the training," Thaksin told reporters.
"Muslims don't agree (with the bombings) and don't think about a religious conflict, but there are some groups still trying to disturb the situation and make people believe that there is (religious) conflict," he said.
The troubles continued Monday with attacks on s policeman and a former police officer who were left in a critical condition after being gunned down in separate incidents by men riding motorbikes.
"We are investigating but believe the shootings are part of an effort to cause unrest in the southern provinces," a police spokesman said.
Thailand's south has been hit this year by a campaign of bombings, arson attacks and murders targetting government officials, security forces and Buddhist monks.
In crimes that shocked the nation, three monks were killed in separate incidents in January, each by assailants on motorcycles who slashed them as they walked in public receiving alms.
The violence escalated dramatically on April 28 when 108 Muslim rebels were killed as they mounted disastrous coordinated assaults on police stations and checkpoints.
Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yonchaiyudh, who is in charge of security affairs, said earlier this month that government forces were on the verge of capturing up to 19 ringleaders behind this year's violence.
However, since then the violence has continued with more bombings and murders.
A Muslim insurgency raged in the south until the 1980s, but the movement fragmented and attacks dropped off until January when a raid on an army weapons depot left four soldiers dead and heralded a new wave of violence.
Malaysia's army chief General Mohamad Azumi Mohamed said Sunday that the Malaysian government was holding discussions with Thailand over ways of improving security along the frontier.