Suspected school bomber nabbed
Security officers yesterday morning arrested a suspect in relation to the bomb attack near the entrance to the Ban Pongsata School in Pattani's Yarang district on Friday.
The afternoon blast wounded four volunteer rangers, five schoolchildren and their school truck driver.
The 28-year-old suspect was arrested in Tambon Yarang and was later brought for questioning to an interrogation centre under the 41st Rangers Regiment.
Pattani City has beefed up security in a bid to prevent more attacks.
Nurul-huda Waelalaemae, 15, was seriously wounded in the attack and underwent surgery to her shoulder yesterday. The other victims are recovering.
Meanwhile, a latex-taping farmer was shot dead in Pattani’s Khok Pho district early yesterday morning.
Following the 4.30am homicide report, police and bomb squad went to the rubber plantation in Tambon Na Ket and found Niyon Chanmano, 52, with multiple bullet wounds in the torso.
Police learned that Niyon was riding a motorcycle to go tap latex while his wife was riding another motorcycle 100 metres ahead of him, when a gunman hiding in a roadside bush opened fire on him with an M16 machine gun.
Police collected 10 spent cartridges from the scene.
Police are unsure if the murder was the result of a personal conflict or the ongoing unrest in the deep South.
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