Bomb explodes next to provincial hall, killing one
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Pattani - Insurgents detonated a homemade-bomb hidden in a pick-up truck parked near the provincial hall, killing a civilian and injuring 12 others Thursday morning.
Insurgents detonated a home-made bomb hidden in a pick-up truck parked near the Pattani provincial hall on Thursday morning, killing a civilian and injuring 12 others.
The explosion occurred at 8.10am about 600 metres from the hall. Police believed the bomb was made of explosives weighing about 30 kilogrammes.
The slain victim was pronounced dead at Pattani Hospital, police said.
The bomb was hidden inside an Isuzu pick-up truck, which was broken into two main pieces. Police said the insurgents planned to attack some 200 defence volunteers, who were scheduled to take part in a ceremony at the provincial hall at 9am.
The impact of the blast damaged the public health provincial office and the Pattani Education Zone 1 head office as well as 12 vehicles parked nearby. One of the vehicles belonged to Deputy Pattani Governor Lertkiat Wongpoetipan who was in Bangkok on an official assignment at the time of the attack.
He said in an interview that his had driver parked the vehicle there while waiting to check on his annual car registration.
He said the attack was aimed at instigating chaos in the area, as the insurgents had chosen a crowded site near government compounds. The bomb was also triggered during the rush hour, causing congestion and affecting the town in other ways, he said.
