Another powerful explosion hit the deep South yesterday, killing three soldiers on village patrol in Yala province.
The impact of the homemade bomb, believed to contain an explosive weighing 20 kilograms, killed Sergeant Wirayuth Wangklin, Lance Corporal Wirachart Boonkua and Private Kammaruding Tuwi while they were going past a rubber plantation in the border province's Yaha district. The pickup truck was completely wrecked, while their bodies were disfigured beyond recognition.
The bomb, put in a cookinggas cylinder and buried under the tarmac, is believed to have been detonated with a mobile phone.
This is the third attack targeting security forces in the South this week.
On Monday, a soldier and two teachers were injured when a bomb, also buried under the road, exploded in Narathiwat's Si Sakhon district.
On Thursday night, a powerful explosion killed three paramilitary troopers and two community leaders, leaving the pickup truck they were travelling in completely wrecked in Narathiwat's Rusoh district.
Two men were arrested yesterday in connection with this explosion.
Brothers Marosudi and Mamaroki Sika were taken into custody during a raid of their home in Rusoh led by some 50 policemen and soldiers. During the raid, police uncovered 50 homemade bombs, 100 large firecrackers, a hood, a rifle scope and camouflage attire.
The suspects, taken to the local police station for interrogation, said the items belonged to a friend whose name they did not know.
Narathiwat Governor Thanon Vejkorakanont said yesterday that the recent attacks were aimed at terrifying local community leaders because the authorities were successfully forging closer ties with villagers and winning more support from them.
"The authorities' community relations work has drawn more cooperation from the villagers. So village leaders are being targeted in a bid to undermine the efforts," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of security affairs, yesterday said the recent political unrest in Bangkok had deflected his attention from the insurgency problems in the deep South. He promised to visit the restive region more frequently and focus on development projects aimed at increasing the local residents' revenue.