Pattani bomb and gun attack injures 5 police in their truck

In the southern province of Pattani, where insurgency activity often erupts in violence and damage, an attack has left 5 police officers wounded. The incident yesterday afternoon involved gunfire and a bombing as police officers were attacked in their car.

The preliminary reports believe that the police officers were responding to a call for backup support around 4:30 pm. They were driving to a village in Tambon Kadunong in Pattani, after a request for help in rounding up a group of suspects in the area when the attack occured.

According to a police officer in the local Pattani Sai Buri station, as the police unit drove in their pickup truck to the location, they came under attack. When they arrived in the area, a bomb exploded near their car. Directly following the explosion, suspects opened fire on the truck and it was besieged with a hail of bullets in the gunfire.

The vehicle sustained significant damages, and the 5 officers inside were wounded. As of yet, there is no information on how serious the injuries are, but no deaths were reported. Police in Pattani have launched an investigation into the attack but no suspects have been named or identified so far.

The insurgency in the area began with the region along the Malaysian border, often called Thailand’s Deep South, being conquered by the Kingdom of Siam in 1785 and battles for autonomy have gone on for decades. In recent years the violence has intensified, fueled often by drug cartels and oil smuggling, creating an increasingly vitriolic atmosphere.

Last month a shootout killed 2 suspected insurgence in a Pattani seaside resort, while 3 months ago a seemingly random attack on innocent passers-by saw a motorbike gang run a car off the road, shoot it up and set it on fire. A man and his daughter burned to death inside, while his grandson managed to flee the car before the flames began.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post