Article 36

Market bomb kills, maims

One dead, 27 injured in Narathiwat; victims are students, teachers, vendors and police

POST REPORTERS

A motorcycle bomb triggered by a mobile phone exploded in a morning market in Narathiwat yesterday, killing one person and wounding 27 others, while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was rounding off his visit to the deep South.

The power gel bomb exploded at the market in tambon Mamong of Sukhirin district about 7.50am as police, primary schoolchildren and teachers were buying breakfast. The Sukhirin school students were about to hold a parade and a sports day.

The explosion scattered debris over a 50-metre radius, injured 11 police, nine schoolchildren and seven civilians including teachers and local people.

Athachai Boon-in, who lived in the shophouse where the motorcycle was parked, was killed, and three members of his family injured.

The bomb tore the black Suzuki motorcycle apart and damaged two other motorcycles, three pick-up trucks, and the roof of the shophouse.

Police believed the bomb weighed about 10kg, and was planted in the fuel tank of the motorcycle. It was detonated with an attached Nokia mobile phone.

Police say there are similarities between this bomb attack and bomb explosions at a Thai Military Bank branch and a fighting cock ring in Tak Bai district recently.

In Yingo district, a grenade was thrown on a road in front of a grocery store in tambon Yingo, but it did not explode. However, a bomb planted about 100m away from the first spot went off.

The explosion caused no casualties but damaged a shop.

Pol Lt-Col Phol Withayanond, a forensic officer, said the assailant intended to use the hand grenade to draw police and soldiers to the scene before triggering the bomb.

Fortunately, the grenade was a dud.

In Bangkok, Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said the bomb attack was intended to discredit the government which was bringing development projects to people in southernmost provinces. Terrorists had noticed police visited the local market in Narathiwat regularly and they chose to bomb the place to intensify the damage and shake the security forces' morale.

Bomb attacks were likely to continue. Authorities would have to tackle the root of problems in the deep South and the prime minister had told them to achieve the mission in three years.

Speaking in Trang, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the death toll from such attacks would eventually get Muslim religious leaders and local people on the government's side. He hoped they would let authorities search their villages for weapons and explosives.

Such searches, especially with sniffer dogs, offended their religious beliefs and authorities did not force the measure even though martial law permitted that, Mr Thaksin said.

The terrorists were trying to show they were still strong but authorities had already arrested their key figures and were breaking up their networks.

Security has intensified in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Mr Thaksin will visit Wat Sai Khao temple in tambon Sai Khao of Khok Pho district in Pattani today.

The place has been scanned for bombs, and roads to the temple checked.

Communities surrounding the temple are reported to be a political stronghold of the opposition Democrat party.

In Pattani yesterday morning, Sumet Chaiwanont, 62, was stabbed once in his head while jogging on Ram Komut road in Muang district.

A younger brother of Pattani chamber of commerce chairman Damrong Chaiwanont, he was attacked by two men on a motorcycle.

He was reported to be in satisfactory condition.