Bomb blasts rocked three Buddhist temples in Thailand's restive Muslim-dominated south within an hour late Sunday, damaging the buildings but causing no injuries, police said.
The temples were located in three districts of Narathiwat province which lies next to the Malaysian border, provincial police commander Colonel Kachen Kochtarayu told AFP.
"The bombs were planted in front of the gates of all three temples. They destroyed the gates and hit part of the temples but the damage was not serious and no one was injured," he said, adding that the temple walls were hit.
"We are investigating. We believe that the people behind the explosions are people who want to create unrest. We don't know who they are or what kind of bombs were used," he said.
Kachen said officers were now collecting evidence from the scene and searching for witnesses.
Thailand's south has been hit this year by a campaign of bombings, arson attacks and murders targeting government officials, security forces and Buddhist monks.
In crimes that shocked the nation, three monks were killed in separate incidents in January, each involving assailants on motorcycles who slashed them as they walked in public receiving alms.
The attacks on the symbols of Buddhism mark a new turn in the troubles in the south, home to most of Thailand's minority Muslims, as the two communities have historically lived alongside each other peacefully.