Roadside bomb blast kills police officer and injures four more in southern Thailand

A roadside bomb blast killed one police officer and injured four more officers in Pattani province in southern Thailand yesterday.

The officers were patrolling Mai Kaen district in a pickup truck when suspected insurgents hiding nearby detonated a roadside bomb in front of Mai Kaen Hospital at around 7.40pm.

In the blast, the pickup truck was launched into a power pole. All five policeman were rushed into Mae Kaen hospital, where Senior Sergeant Major Bari Baka was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Today, acting Prime Minister of Thailand Prawit Wongsuwan ordered the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 to take care of the injured officers and the deceased’s family. He ordered them to not delay in catching the perpetrators.

As of yet, no insurgency group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it is assumed that the attack was launched by insurgents because it was aimed at police officers who are representatives of the Thai state.

Since violence resurfaced in Thailand’s “Deep South” in 2004, insurgents in Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and parts of Songkhla have taken out sporadic violent attacks on state representatives – such as police, government officials, teachers and Buddhist monks.

Some insurgent groups fight for complete independence of the historical Patani kingdom, whereas others demand better living standards and treatment from the Thai government.

The Thai government previously proposed a 108 day ceasefire between August 15 – November 30 in the Deep South to cover vassa – or Buddhist Lent – which will end on October 10. The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) said they would consider the proposal, but no formal agreement was made.

In April, the BRN and Thai government successfully observed a 40 day ceasefire for the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.

The roots of the Southern Thailand insurgency go far back in history.

SOURCE: Matichon | BangkokBizNews