Monk lucky to escape bomb blast
A tightly guarded monk yesterday miraculously survived a roadside bomb that exploded a minute after he took alms from a villager.
The monk was accompanied by a soldier and a village defence volunteer as he did his daily round of collecting alms in Tak Bai district, Narathiwat. He was only 15 metres away when a home-made bomb exploded in front of the house of Sawangchit Kaewchan, who had just given him alms.Nobody was injured. Police suspect Muslim militants were behind the attack. Meanwhile, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya said officials were working continuously to solve the problem of violence in the deep South. He said there needed to be a more comprehensive plan and added that the Fourth Army Region Commander was preparing to prevent any violent attacks in the next few days. Intelligence reports indicate that Muslim militants are planning to launch a big and simultaneous attack again in the next few days. Over the past week, militants have attacked nearly 200 locations, hitting mostly soft targets, in the restive region. More than 1,300 lives have been lost since violence re-emerged in the three southernmost provinces in January 2004.
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