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Bombs begin Ramadan in southern Thailand
Security measures have been stepped up in the deep South after a car bomb attack in Narathiwat province yesterday morning. Regional commander Udomchai Thammasarorath ordered all military units in the South to strengthen security measures to deter any further attacks by Col Pramote said, "This is the holy month for Muslims and there should be no violence during this period. Unfortunately, the separatist militants just ignored it." Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan. The bomb attack happened about 6:15 a.m. Police said the explosion came from a 50-kilogram gas cylinder placed inside a pickup truck parked on Charoen Khet Road in Sungai Kolok municipality. The blast completely destroyed the truck, damaged three cars and a motorcycle parked nearby, and set on fire the building of a company which occupies four adjoining units of four-story shophouses. The company is the biggest supplier of electronic devices and electrical appliances in the region. It took more than ten fire engines more than three hours to extinguish the blaze. Firemen had to rescue people who were trapped on the top floor of the building. Eight people were wounded. Police found that the pickup truck had been stolen from Chalong Nuana, a 46-year-old local of Pattani province. Chalong and his associate were gunned down in a housing estate in Narathiwat on Nov 20 last year while they were unloading furniture from the truck. The vehicle bore licence plates of another vehicle that belonged to Suchart Suwanchaluay, from Muang district of Yala province. Suchart was gunned down in front of his house on June 21 this year and his vehicle was stolen. Police believe the bombing was an act of the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) Waedueramae Mamingji, chairman of the Pattani Provincial Islamic Committee, yesterday rebuked those who carried out the car bomb attack. He said, "It is an unacceptable action. Allah will punish them and bring them to disgrace. They must be brought to justice soon." He wondered why they chose the Ramadan to carry out their attack since it requires Muslims to do good things for Allah, themselves and others. He also said he wanted to see suspected In another incident, an armored military vehicle was hit by a bomb buried in the road in Rangae district of Narathiwat about 5:20 p.m. yesterday. Two soldiers and five military rangers suffered broken bones as a result of the blast. Shrapnel from the buried bomb injured a 28-year-old female motorcyclist. The explosive was placed within a 20-kilogram fire extinguisher that was wired to a battery hidden in roadside shrubs. Posted by: ryuge 2012-07-21 |
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