In the worst attack, explosives hidden under a government pickup truck went off in a crowded market in Ka Bang, Yala province, wounding the deputy district chief driving the car, his wife and three police officers.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expressed concern and said that he had left his deputy, justice minister Chidchai Vanasathidya, in charge of dealing with the insurgency's latest flare-up that killed two and wounded 24 on Thursday.
"Today Chidchai will call a meeting and adjust security plans," said Thaksin before leaving for a three-day visit to Kazakhstan.
In Friday's other six bombings, small improvised devices hidden in garbage bins and restrooms hit railway stations and other targets in the Yala and Narathiwat provinces but injured no one, police said.
Southern regional police raised the number of Thursday's attacks against police posts and cars, government offices, tea shops and other businesses to 65 - with 26 each in Pattani and Narathiwat and 13 in Yala.
The wave of attacks started just days after mainly Buddhist Thailand wrapped up major festivities to celebrate the 60th year on the throne of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 78, who is deeply revered in his country.
Separatist violence has simmered in the south since Thailand annexed an independent ethnic Malay sultanate there a century ago. Insurgencies erupted in the 1970s and again in early 2004, claiming more than 1,300 lives since.
Widely held grievances in the south have focused on Thai repression of the local language, script and religious practices.
A majority of southern voters boycotted national elections in April, and breakaway members of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party plan to register two new Islamic parties ahead of polls set for mid-October, reports have said.
Thaksin, a controversial premier accused of abuse of power and corruption as well as heavy-handedness in dealing with the south, has rejected claims that his policies worsened the insurgency there.
The militants have consistently failed to claim responsibility for attacks, fueling speculation over exactly who is behind the violence, including regular drive-by shootings of Buddhist officials, monks and teachers.
Analysts are divided on whether the insurgency is mainly ethnically and culturally driven, or whether the rebels have extensive ties with Islamist extremists elsewhere in Asia and the Middle East.
© 2006 Agence France-Presse
To add a comment,
Please log in:
Don't have an account?
Register now to comment on stories and stay up to date on important events and issues in the Middle East with our newsletter.