Yala bomb attack kills one, injures two
A volunteer ranger was killed and two were wounded Monday when a M26 grenade hidden under the driver's seat exploded while their pickup truck was travelling on a road in Yala's Raman district.
Manat Satsue, 27, Vichit Chomwichian, 28, and Chatmongkol Thongthammachart, 27, were sent to Yala Hospital, where Manat died.
The three men were returning from a garage where the vehicle had been repaired.
In Bangkok, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad had allowed a delegation of 15 officials led by Chalerm to meet him in Langkawi on March 28.
The BRN group that had held peace talks with Pol Lt General Paradorn Pattanathabut, secretary-general of the National Security Council, was the “real” force behind the insurgency in the South, he said.
“The Malaysian prime minister also insists that they are the real one. If not, why would he want to host the meeting and why would the Malaysian supreme commander and other Malaysian top security officials want to take part in the meeting? If Malaysia refuses to harbour insurgents, we’ll benefit,’’ he said.
Seeking reconciliation in the troubled South was not a pipedream, he said.
“We dream of establishing peace through negotiations and reducing conflicts but critics are envious of us and do nothing. The government has treaded on the right path,’’ he said.
It was proper for the military to represent the Thai side in negotiating with the rebels since they have been working in the area and know it the best. The government has to listen to them, he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has given him a clear order to inspect the restive region following the escalation in violence and he has no choice but obey.
“If I don’t go to the South, I will definitely be sacked,’’ he said.
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