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| Southeast Asia |
| Three dead, 21 injured in latest bombings in southern Thailand |
| 2008-03-16 |
| One of the few luxury hotels in the area targeted A huge car bomb at the best-known hotel in the deep South on Saturday evening killed a bystander and injured 15 others including Senator Anusart Suwanmongkol. The bomb went off in the evening at the car park adjacent to CS Pattani Hotel in Pattani. Pournjit Prapinvanich, director of Pattani hospital, said that one person was killed and 15 others were wounded. Ten patients were treated and discharged, Pornjit said. The dead men was a hotel security guard who was in the parking lot when the bomb went off. A dozen vehicles and the hotel lobby were all damaged. Three of the bomb victims were listed in critical condition. Mr Anusart only suffered minor injuries. Sen Anusart is among the 74 selected members of the new Senate, and represents the southern business sector. Two members of the Pattani provincial council were among the wounded. "This is a big blow to security," said Col Akra Thiproj, the southern region's army spokesman. "The CS Pattani is the region's most popular hotel among tourists and officials." Two smaller bombs were detonated at 8:00 pm in the hotel's ground floor restroom, and another outside the coffee shop, but caused little damage and no injuries. Meanwhile, at about 11:45 pm Saturday suspected separatists burned down a school in Saiburi district of Pattani, and detonated a bomb when security personnel arrived to douse the flame, killing one soldier and injuring another six, Akkara confirmed. Many glass windows were shattered by the bomb blast at one of the few luxury hotels in the deep South. The 200-room inn is frequently used by government officials. Somchai Kaotong, 40, who was wounded in the head and arm by the car bomb, recalled that the armed vehicle was parked "in a different manner" from other vehicles at the hotel, directed towards the lobby. Earlier on Saturday, a man was killed when explosives inside his car went off in Yala, police said. Salahuding Pula, the dead man, was believed to be preparing bombs to carry out attacks at the Youth Centre in Yala town. He was the brother of Abduloh Pula, leader of an extremist gang in Than To district of Yala. His body was found near the burned vehicle, in front of the Youth Centre. |
| Posted by:ryuge |