Panic Hits Pattani By Bomb Hoax

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PATTANI, Nov. 17 (TNA) - A bomb hoax at a house of an aid to a village leader sent panic across a small town in the violence-stricken Pattani Province early Wednesday morning, said police.

Police Captain Pithan Lukraksa, an officer at Mai Kaen District Police Station, said he was informed of a suspicious box at 0630 am today and rushed to the scene with a team.

Police found a paper container, the size of a shoe box, left in front of a house belongs to Mr. Ahamah Maeyee, a local construction contractor who is also an aid to Ban Don Sai's village head.

''We found a note next to the box, warning of a mobile phone bomb. So, we called in a special unit to defuse it as we did not want to take a chance. We were also taking precautions against twin bombs and cordoned off the area to the public,'' said the police.

Hours later, the bomb defusing team found only a red brick inside the box, police said.

Police suspected the incident may have related to business conflict as the house owner runs a construction project for a village leader.

Police would call the house owner for questioning as it is suspected that his rivals were behind this bomb hoax and wanted to cause panic individually.(TNA)-E110