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Southeast Asia
Violent weekend in southern Thailand leaves two dead, ten injured
2012-10-22
Residents in the southern Thailand have been warned to prepare for an increase of violence in anticipation of the anniversary this Thursday of the Tak Bai incident. The warning follows another weekend of bloodshed in the southernmost provinces.

A number of bombings and shootings occurred in Narathiwat province on Saturday and yesterday, killing at least two soldiers and wounding more than ten people, including a nine-year-old girl. A suspected terrorist insurgent was also killed.

Col Pramote Prom-in, deputy spokesman of the Isoc Region 4 Forward Command, yesterday said intelligence showed about 2,000 terrorist insurgent group members were preparing to launch attacks in the deep South. He said, "They will not focus only on Tak Bai district. They want violence to spill over into other areas. They are also trying to intensify their attacks to counter the government's success in bringing 93 southern militants to surrender to authorities."

Col Pramote said another top terrorist insurgent would turn himself in to the army today in Yala province. This terrorist insurgent is a former uztad (Islamic teacher) and used to work with Sapae-ing Bazor, the most wanted southern terrorist insurgent and former principal of a school in Yala.

With the Tak Bai anniversary on Thursday, the army is seeking about 30 core leaders of separatist groups who remain at large, Col Pramote said, adding that they were thought to be behind the weekend attacks.

Five attacks took place in Tak Bai district between 8 and 9 p.m. on Saturday. They were:

- A motorcycle bomb exploded in front of a karaoke bar, wounding nine-year-old girl Rungthip Kanthawil and Arthit Paengpor, 39.

- A sedan carrying a 20 kg bomb exploded in the Taba Hotel car park. No one was wounded but the explosion severely damaged the hotel building and surrounding properties.

- Two groups of suspected terrorists insurgents ambushed a marine police base, resulting in a 10-minute gun fight. Marine police officer Toranin Ponpasuk, 42, was wounded in his leg. A suspected terrorist insurgent was gunned down. Police vehicles and patrol boats were also damaged.

- A bomb hidden inside Vshop grocery store exploded and ignited a fire that burned down part of the shop. A pickup truck carrying an 80 kg bomb was found on a local road in Ban Yaring. A bomb disposal unit managed to defuse the device.

Terrorists Insurgents had also put metal spikes across a highway linking Muang Narathiwat and Tak Bai districts to disrupt security operations responding to the attacks.

Hours after authorities managed to deal with the simultaneous Tak Bai attacks, two bomb blasts were also reported in Bacho district.

Two soldier were killed and six others injured in two blasts in that district about 8 a.m. yesterday.

The first explosion came from a remotely detonated home-made bomb while eight soldiers from Narathiwat Task Force 32 patrolled the area on motorcycle. A kilometer from the site of that blast, a number of suspected terrorists militants detonated a roadside gas cylinder bomb.

The explosion killed Sergeant Major 1st Class officers Issarawut Polsak and Nadi Champawan. Six other soldiers were injured.

Violent attacks continued yesterday. At 1:45 p.m., a motorcycle repairman was shot and seriously wounded at a shop in Pattani province. Suhai Dolo, 32, was repairing a bike when two men on a motorcycle stopped outside. One walked up and shot him twice in the head with a pistol.

At 4:30 p.m., a teacher at a border patrol police-run school was gunned down in Rue So district of Narathiwat. The bullet-riddled body of Preecha Samaimai, 40, was found dead in the driver's seat of his pickup truck. Witnesses said the teacher was on his way back from Narathiwat Community College to his home. Two men followed on a motorcycle and a pillion rider sprayed him with bullets.
Posted by:ryuge

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