South blast injures two
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Two members of a nine-strong paramilitary ranger team were wounded in an explosion while on patrol near a local school in Narathiwat's Chanae district yesterday.
The five-kilogram bomb went off at 8.45am, seriously injuring Apiwat Khotphrom, 26, and Ni-ayu Rayokhali, 28.
Police blamed the attack on separatists.
The blast followed an incident in Yala’s Raman district on Wednesday in which Tambon Noen Ngam Administrative Organisation chief Pakdee Nirohing, 48, and co-worker Waetulo Waeteh were injured in an ambush by unknown gunmen while driving home at 10pm.
Police were investigating to determine if the attack was related to the insurgent unrest or stemmed from a personal conflict.
Meanwhile, the president of the Civil Society Council of the Southern Border Provinces, Prasit Meksuwan, issued a statement urging the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) to stick to the MoU they signed on February 28.
It was agreed in the MoU that each side would have a strategic committee assess the situation in the region and set meeting agendas accordingly, as well as to establish a joint coordinating panel to ensure both sides were on the same page.
Prasit urged both sides to continue with the talks, saying failure would affect the region’s chance of achieving peace. The council said five of the BRN’s seven demands, and Thailand’s one demand, were achievable if both sides were sincere.
