On Wednesday night, there was an attack on the home of a senior clerk at Yala’s Bannang Sata district office, with seven M79 grenades fired, but no one was injured.
Less than an hour later, a resident was shot dead in a separate incident in the district.
The bombing in Joh I Rong occurred at about 8.30am and targeted a six-ranger patrol on three motorcycles.
As volunteer military rangers Boonpen Leeka and Jaroonsak Pitakkij inspected a bridge in tambon Mareubo-ok, the hidden insurgents detonated a 20kg bomb remotely.
The duo was rushed to Joh I Rong Hospital.
Earlier, unknown gunmen shot dead local resident Asae Waedoyee and injured Khosima Waedoyee in tambon Kortor Teura in Yala’s Raman district at about 6.45am while the two victims rode a motorcycle to tap rubber trees.
In Bannang Sata, police yesterday morning inspected the house of senior district clerk Anirut Bua-on behind Bannang Sata Market following the grenade attack.
The assailants reportedly hurled two grenades at about 8.45pm and then another five grenades at about 9.10pm.
Police and defence volunteers fired back, prompting the assailants to flee.
A source involved with the investigation into the incident said police suspected an insurgent sympathiser group led by Mukta Ali-mama and Ahmad Leubaesa carried out the attack.
In a separate incident, villager Sawat Baiwang-ah, 35, was shot dead near a local mosque at about 9pm on Wednesday in Bannang Sata’s tabom Taling Chan. Police were investigating the motive behind the killing at press time.