Bomb kills woman, injures 33 in Yala
A motorcycle-bomb blast in downtown Yala yesterday morning killed one person and wounded 33 others, while causing five shophouses to catch fire, as well as other property damage.
Security officials said they believed two highly sought-after insurgents – Hassan Mousodi and Saudi Satapor – were behind yesterday’s attack. The officials were compiling intelligence and further evidence to back up their claim.
Meanwhile, a monitoring centre said this year had been the worst for vehicular bomb attacks since violence flared in the deep South in 2004. The director of Deep South Watch, Asst Prof Srisomphob Jitphiromsri, said the number of general insurgent attacks was down, but the vehicular bombs had a more serious psychological impact on the local population.
He said the recent spike in insurgent violence was aimed at attracting the attention of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting held last week in Djibouti. He did not elaborate.
Yesterday’s attack, at around 7.30am, targeted a five-member team of military dog handlers travelling in a pickup truck, police said. The blast, likely detonated by mobile phone signals, also caused a car to catch fire, along with five nearby homes, and damaged two shops selling construction materials. The bomb was hidden in a motorcycle with a sidecar parked near the shops.
The body of the lone fatality, 49-year-old woman, was found slumped on a motorcycle parked nearby. Eyewitnesses told police she was struck by the soldiers’ pickup, which was blown in her direction by the powerful blast. Ten of the wounded remain in hospital, while 23 others were allowed to go home after treatment.
The Army’s chief in Yala, Major-General Prakan Chollayuth, conceded security measures were lax and vowed to improve them. A manhunt was later carried out after a blockade of both suspects’ homes, but no trace of them was found.
Police said Hassan was an insurgent leader active in Muang Yala district with close ties to suspected bomb-maker Saudi. Video footage from security cameras showed a man riding a motorcycle with a sidecar around the area before parking it in front of one of the shops. This suspect was later picked up by a man on another motorcycle, later seen heading towards a railway line.
Owners of two shops called for help from officials but couldn’t give an estimate of damage.
Separately, a security blockade was conducted in Narathiwat to look for four insurgent leaders reportedly in hiding with help of sympathetic locals, but turned up no suspects or other clues.
A police-soldier force surrounded a village of 80 homes in Ra-ngae district to seek Amran Ming, Abdulhakim Puteh, Tuansae Tuankueji, and Usni Badoh, in the hope of arresting men who were their subordinates.
RELATED