51 hurt in Thai insurgents’ car bomb attack
Print Edition
MORE than 50 people, including children, were injured yesterday when a car bomb exploded outside a supermarket in Thailand’s insurgency-plagued south, the largest attack for months on a civilian target there.
The Muslim-majority border region has seethed with violence for over a decade as ethnic Malay insurgents battle the Buddhist-majority state for more autonomy.
Two bombs went off outside the Big C, a busy supermarket, just outside the town of Pattani at 2pm. The first device was packed inside a motorcycle in the car park and it spread panic among shoppers.
“The second blast was a car bomb,” Pattani police commander Major General Thanongsak Wangsupa said.
Deputy national police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen says 51 people were injured by the blasts, four of them seriously.
A video posted by a witness on Twitter showed the second blast detonate in a large fireball, sending bystanders running for cover.
Police were on the scene and appeared to be encouraging people to move back when the second blast struck.
In heavy rain forensic officers started searching through the twisted remains of the car looking for clues.
A large swathe of the supermarket storefront had been blown away, replaced by a twisted mess of charred metal.
“I heard a very loud explosion,” said a resident who lives close to the supermarket.
“Minutes after that, I heard the sirens of rescue cars and ambulances. I feel bad about it. It happened at a place where people go to buy things.”
Near-daily shootings and bomb attacks have claimed more than 6,800 lives since 2004, with both sides accused of human rights abuses.
The UN children’s agency condemned insurgents for targeting an area where youngsters would be present.
“No child’s life should ever be put at risk in this way. This is wholly unacceptable,” said UNICEF’s Thailand representative Thomas Davin.
Talks between the Thai junta and a group claiming to represent the rebels have failed to make progress on a cease fire. Thai negotiators do not believe the rebel interlocutors have the power to stop the violence.
The rebels want peace talks to include international observers, and also discuss devolving political power as well as protecting their Malay-Muslim culture.
But shortly before yesterday’s attack junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha reiterated his opposition to foreign involvement in solving the festering conflict.
“We must keep this issue away from the reach of the international arena,” said Prayut.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
