Dozens hurt in Thai south blasts

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Twenty-seven people have been injured in at least three separate explosions in Thailand's insurgency-hit south.

The blasts took place on Sunday night at entertainment venues in the town of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province, as people celebrated the holiday season.

Devices exploded at or outside two hotels and a disco, police said.

There are frequent gun and bomb attacks in Thailand's southern-most provinces, where separatist rebels are fighting for an Islamic state.

More than 2,500 people have been killed since the violence escalated in 2004.

Two of the 27 people hurt in the blasts suffered serious injuries, police said.

Security had been tightened in the region ahead of the New Year holiday.

The attacks come exactly a year after a series of blasts hit the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Three people were killed when at least five bombs exploded on New Year's Eve in 2006.

No-one has yet been charged in connection with the attacks, which occurred amid political instability four months after the military seized power.