SOUTH CRISIS

Rail services in south to resume Tuesday

The Nation

Photo : Charoon Thongnual

HAT YAI: -- Rail services in the deep southern provinces, which were suspended after a violent attack on a train killed three in Narathiwat on Sunday, are expected to resume on Tuesday, said Preecha Promtungkor, chief railway engineer in Hat Yai.

Rail workers are now busy removing the damaged compartments from the track as well as fixing about 300 metres of tracks damaged in the explosive attacks.

The works are expected to finish today and the services of 14 daily trains to and from Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok station would resume on Tuesday, he said.

Preecha was speaking after leading the workers to the site in the province's Rusoh district. The repair works were being implemented under tight security to prevent any reoccurrence of violence.

The rail services were suspended in the wake of one of the most violent train attacks in Thailand on Sunday morning. The blasts hit a compartment used as rest area for security volunteers of Train 435 on the Yala-Sungai Kolok route, killing three volunteers.

Of the 35 others injured in the attack, 28 have already been released from hospital while the rest are being treated at Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital.

The sabotage took place one day after a motorcycle bomb exploded in Yala’s Muang district, killing one woman and injuring 33 others.

Assistant Police Chief Pol Lt Gen Jarumporn Suramanee meanwhile visited two train police injured in the attack at Prince of Songkhla Hospital. They are Pol Sgt Pichet Tipwaree, 46 and Police Sen Sgt Maj Yongyuth Kangsawat, 43. Their condition is now reported as stable but doctors are keeping them in for observation.

Both were praised for their bravery as they shot back at the insurgents, who were intending to shoot at the injured after the blast. This marks the fourth time that Pichet has been injured while working in the deep south.

Meanwhile National Security Council's chief Lt Gen Paradon Pattanathabutr said the escalation of the violence in the region may be caused by insurgents' disappointment at the recent meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

They believed that the meeting would give greater priority to problems and condemn the government for mishandling the problems. Instead, those at the meeting indicated that the government is still able to control the situation.

Paradon may have been referring to the OIC's meeting in Azerbaijan last week. "The insurgents wanted to show their power and their anger at the outcomes.

-- The Nation 2012-11-19

Red-shirts (UDD) to hold rallies outside Bangkok Nov.23-24 opposing anti-govt rally of Pitak Siam group planned for Nov.24 /The Nation

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Thailand Live Tuesday 20 Nov 2012