THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Narathiwat bomb briefly halts rail traffic; nobody hurt

Narathiwat bomb briefly halts rail traffic; nobody hurt

A bomb exploded near a train track in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district yesterday morning, disrupting rail services for a while.

Train No 447 was prevented from leaving Sungai Kolok Station at the scheduled time of 6.30am as security officials wanted to ensure the safety of the train and its passengers and also to facilitate the examination of evidence at the scene of the explosion.
Territorial-defence volunteers said they were conducting patrols on foot when the bomb went off at around 6.15am.
“Five of us were conducting the patrol when the bomb was detonated remotely,” said the patrol team’s chief, Mayusoh Dajeh. “The explosion was about 20 metres from us, so we were not injured.”
The bomb blast left a 30-centimetre-deep, 60cm-wide hole on the shoulder of the railway but caused neither casualties nor damage to the track.
Security officials said about 3 kilograms of explosives were used in this blast. They believed the incident was related to insurgent activity in the deep South.
Deep South Watch director Srisompob Jitpiromsri said the violence had been intensifying in the southernmost region since Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, started in July.
“The severity of the attacks is unusually high when compared with the same period in other years. Large amounts of explosives are being used now,” he said.
He said security officials must keep a close watch on the situation during the last phase of Ramadan this year.
Ramadan is a sacred month during which Muslims strictly observe their religious precepts.
“Attackers may step up violence this month to shake the morale of locals,” Srisompob said. The southernmost region is predominantly Muslim.
Songkhla Governor Krissada Boonraj said security officials |had implemented strict safety measures.
“There are 17 main checkpoints on routes linking to Hat Yai district. Intelligence agencies have warned us that economic zones are being targeted,” Krissada said.
He said all relevant officials were now working closely and strictly monitoring feeds from security cameras.
The Amir al-Mu’minin Foundation said the current wave of violence in the deep South had orphaned at least 3,344 children.
“They are on our register,” said foundation president Abdulfata Longdeewa.
In Yala’s Krong Pinang district, meanwhile, a young man was shot dead while watching motorcycle racing early yesterday.
The victim, Sudingman Mudor, was 19. Witnesses said a motorcyclist and a passenger stopped their |vehicle next to Sudingman’s on the Yala-Betong Road before |the passenger suddenly pulled out |a gun and repeatedly shot Sudingman in the head.
On Sunday night, another Yala resident, Saiming Hama, was also gunned down in his home in Yaha district.
Police are investigating the case in a bid to nail down the culprits.

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