EIGHT INJURED IN TWO SEPARATE BOMB BLASTS IN SOUTHERN THAILAND

By Tuwaedaniya Meringing

PATTANI, March 18 (Bernama) -- Five police officers and three civilians were injured in two separate bomb blasts in a southern province of Thailand on Tuesday and early Wednesday morning.

Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 (ISOC 4) spokesperson, Colonel Yuttanam Pechmuang, said the first blast occured at a police security command centre at Kampung Thanam, Panare district, Pattani at 7 pm on Tuesday.

He said a motorcycle believed to have been rigged with explosives suddenly detonated, causing injuries to five police officers and damage to three vehicles and buildings.

“Initial investigations found that the suspect had rigged the motorcycle with explosives before making a getaway on a four wheel drive vehicle,” he said, when contacted here, today.

He added that all the injured victims are receiving treatment at Pattani Hospital and their conditions are reported to be stable.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident early Wednesday morning, a bomb that was attached to a motorcycle blew up in front of a ranger security control headquarters in Khok Pho district.

Yuttanam said the blast caused injuries to residents of a nearby area in addition to damage to a vehicle owned by a ranger officer.

“Investigations are under way to determine the suspect and motive of the attack. ISOC-4 calls on members of the public with information on these two incidents to immediately report it to the authorities for action to be taken,” he said.

He also warned that any individual found to be protecting the suspects can be punished with imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of 40,000 Baht.

-- BERNAMA