Police on alert in far South amid fear of more attacks

Security officers at the Sungai Kolok River are also looking for any suspects who may cross the border to undertake more attacks, amid rumours of further violence before the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.
Further checks of security camera footage have found that one suspect rode a white motorcycle to lead a bronze motorcycle ridden by a foreigner who police believe did not know the target locations well. This was revealed by cameras along the route to a warehouse in Pasemas sub-district, the source said.
The Sungai Kolok blasts killed three people and injured eight. They also did more than Bt200 million in damage to property.
Local residents came together on Sunday night to clear up a motorcycle repair shop, which was one of the sites hit by a bomb.
Many business operators in Sungai Kolok were on alert to repair and maintain security cameras, while others may install more cameras in a bid to prevent or deter further attacks.
Meanwhile, police investigating a motorcycle bomb in Padang Besar municipality area in Songkhla’s Sadao district have spoken to about 30 witnesses.
The suspected bomber was aged 25-30 and may be from the deep South, as he did not speak Thai clearly. The man, who wore a cap, managed to hide his face from security cameras at the scene and nearby areas, an informed source said yesterday.
The Padang Besar bomb killed a karaoke bar owner and two workers while also wounding three others.
Police checked CCTV footage from a wider radius before and after the attack.
They also contacted the Padang Besar and Sadao border checkpoints to help identify the suspect, who may have fled across the border after the attack.
With the bomber’s identity unclear, police believed this latest attack may be linked to the group that carried out two bombings in Hat Yai on May 6, 2014. Four people linked to those blasts are still at large, the source said.
The Padang Besar blast prompted Hat Yai district chief Narongporn Na Phatthalung to adjust the city’s security plan with more officers scanning city blocks to prevent more attacks until the end of Ramadan.
Explosive Ordnance Reconnaissance officers, equipped with a cell-phone signal jammer, checked areas deemed at risk – such as Kimyong Market, Hat Yai Plaza Mall, and all electricity plants – for suspicious items. Village headmen and kamnans also set up checkpoints in surrounding areas with roads linking to three southernmost provinces.
In related news, police chief Pol General Somyot Poomphanmuang affirmed that police were investigating the attacks and urged people not to jump to conclusions about identity of the culprits.
He said the violence this year was down by half compared to last year.