February 11, 2005

Stadium bombing misses governor

POST REPORTERS

Narathiwat _ A home-made bomb detonated by a mobile telephone exploded

yesterday at the Narathiwat stadium during a parade by 360 defence

volunteers that was attended by Governor Pracha Terat, seriously

injuring six people.

Mr Pracha stood about 50 metres from where the bomb went off. He was

not hurt.

The injured, five defence volunteers and a stadium worker, were being

treated at Narathiwat Ratchanakharin hospital.

The explosion also damaged three motorcycles and left a deep crater

near a light pole where the bomb was planted.

Police believe the attack was carried out by the same group which

bombed Luan Heng hotel in Rangae district and planted bombs at a school

in Tak Bai district and at a police checkpoint in Sungai Kolok district.

The two planted bombs were found and disarmed this week.

Post-election violence also erupted in Sungai Padi district, with two

soldiers seriously wounded in a bomb attack on their vehicle during a

patrol in Ban Ponoh yesterday afternoon.

Troops who then took chief warrant officers Somkiat Pattanarat, 49, and

Saroj Chuangsom, 50, to hospital also were attacked with assault rifles.

They fought back and the assailants escaped.

The two wounded soldiers were treated at Sungai Kolok hospital.

In Cho Airong district, two police officers on patrol received minor

injuries and their car was slightly damaged by a bomb planted near the

office of a tambon administration organisation.

Acting Fourth Army chief Maj-Gen Kwanchart Klaharn, meanwhile,

inspected Ban Bukehbeuteh school in Chanae district which was razed by

arsonists on Wednesday night.

His soldiers helped set up tents to be used as classrooms for the 250

students. Studies were scheduled to resume by today.

Police found footprints of two people suspected of climbing fences to

reach the school library. A fire set there quickly spread to engulf the

whole school.

They were investigating if the arsonists were the same people who

recently torched Ba-ngo-puloh school in Rueso district.

In another incident on Wednesday night, one man was killed and two

others wounded in an explosion near a village health office in tambon

Pasemat of Sungai Kolok.

Police said the explosion followed a gun attack on a village defence

team. Mayuso Awae heard the gunfire and walked to the health office as

he was concerned for his son who was a village defence team member.

While Mayuso was in front of a noodle shop, a powerful blast went off,

killing him instantly.

His son, Makata, and Pol Sr Sgt-Maj Somphet Jikrathok were wounded.