Man shot dead; bomb blast at Yala school
A mechanic was injured when a bomb exploded at a school in Yala and a defence volunteer died after being shot in the head in Pattani yesterday, just one day after a bomb blast in Narathiwat injured five police officers.
The bomb went off in an assembly hall at Ban Kehror School in Yala's Raman district while a team of mechanics was arriving to work there. Seven mechanics in a task force and four security officials were arriving at the school when the bomb exploded. Sergeant Uthai Ruangsombat, the chief of mechanic, sustained minor injuries to his face, while the others lost their hearing temporarily. After the explosion, investigators found pieces of a cell phone, including a Sim card and battery. They suspect Muslim militants hid the bomb in the hall then waited in a nearby teashop and detonated the bomb via a cell phone when the task force arrived on site. In Pattani's Nong Chik district, a village defence volunteer was shot dead at about noon yesterday. Sarawut Kotin, 35, was shot once in the head while riding his motorbike home with his wife after rubber tapping. His wife survived the attack. She said two men riding a motorbike approached them from behind on Tharua-Botong Road and one of them fired one round from a .38 pistol before speeding away. Police are investigating the motive behind the attack. Meanwhile, Provincial Police Bureau 9 Commissioner Lt-General Adul Saengsingkaew flew to Narathiwat yesterday to personally deliver financial compensation to five police officers injured in a bomb blast on Saturday. Two officers who were critically injured received Bt12,000, while the other three received Bt5,000 each. Violence in the three southernmost provinces has continued for more than two years. Near daily attacks, including bombings, shootings and arson have claimed more than 1,200 lives. Many of the victims either worked for or were connected to the government.
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