Yala bomb blast leaves five injured
Senior Democrat Party executive and former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan, left, meets with army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin at the Army HQ yesterday when, according to Surin, they exchanged views about the South.
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Five soldiers were hospitalised yesterday after a bomb attack in Yala's Thanto district.
The soldiers had just finished escorting a group of teachers home when a group of armed men triggered the explosion at about 4pm, then opened fired from the roadside.
Three sergeants - Chareon Saengsawang, Lek Sukphong and Prem Mecha - and privates Worawuth Thasunthon and Rithidej Kokraphan were wounded in the attack. Meanwhile, senior Democrat Party executive and former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan said there was no hidden agenda in his meeting with Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin. It was an opportunity to exchange views on the South in an atmosphere of "mutual interest and common responsibility", he said. The meeting came amid reports that Thaksin and his security tsar, Chidchai Vanasathidya, will give Sonthi more freedom to address the problems in the South. Surin said he was impressed with Sonthi's sincerity and determination to bring peace to the restive region. Surin said he agreed with Sonthi that village chiefs, kamnans and community leaders must be made to feel they have ownership of the areas in which they live and that they have a stake in the outcome. "We are also in agreement that the quality of education and human-resources development in the region needs to be furthered in order for the people to make a more meaningful contribution," Surin said. He said that seeing the problem as stemming from separatism overlooked such problems as abuse of power, lack of cultural appreciation, lack of ownership and the erosion of trust between the people and authorities.
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