Car bomb kills five soldiers in Thai south

BANGKOK, Feb 10, 2013 (AFP) - Five soldiers were killed Sunday in a bomb attack by suspected insurgents in Thailand's violence-wracked deep south, police said.

The bomb, which also wounded a sixth soldier, was detonated as the troops passed by in their patrol vehicle in a village in Yala, one of several Muslim-dominated provinces near the border with Malaysia.

newsjs"About 10 insurgents are believed to have hidden nearby and detonated the bomb, which was attached to another car," Police Major Torphan Phusuntiae told AFP by telephone.

He said a man and a woman working in a rubber plantation were also wounded in the blast.

Torphan said the soldiers were targeted because they regularly received tip-offs and information about insurgents from the villagers.

A shadowy insurgency calling for greater autonomy has plagued Thailand's far south near the border with Malaysia since 2004, claiming more than 5,300 lives, both Buddhist and Muslim.

Members of Thailand's security forces are frequently targeted in ambushes and roadside bombs, while civilians perceived to have collaborated with Thai authorities are also routinely executed.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-02-10

"Torphan said the soldiers were targeted because they regularly received tip-offs and information about insurgents from the villagers" ....<deleted>...Police Major Torphan should keep his mouth shut rather than painting targets on the backs of the villagers. What a dope !

Five soldiers killed in Yala presumed insurgent attack

By Digital Media

YALA, Feb 10 – Five soldiers were killed and another one wounded in a bombing and shooting attack in the violence plagued province of Yala.

A group of soldiers were driving a personnel carrier on Sai Thathong-Wangphraya road when a 50-kilogramme bomb hidden in a pick-up truck exploded. After the bombing, at least ten assailants disguised as officials opened fire at the soldiers, killing one officer, four privates. One surviving soldier was wounded.

The police presumed that the attack was carried out by a group of insurgents--led by Abdulrorhing Dahisor and Abdulrormae Jeteh--active in Yala’s Raman district and Pattani’s Mayo district.

The pick-up truck used in the car bomb belonged to Somsak Kwanma, a teacher in Baan Bangoy. The teacher’s pickup truck was reported stolen in mid December last year. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-10

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

But its not terrorism!

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

There are NO EXPENDABLE people in the Army or civilians.

Each one has a family and is loved and now will be missed by their families.

A****le.

There's no police left to observe what's going on, and work with the army in communications of civilian movements.

They're all making lesson plans, ready for tomorrow's school classes.

-mel.

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

There are NO EXPENDABLE people in the Army or civilians.

Each one has a family and is loved and now will be missed by their families.

A****le.

I made the a$$hole comment, because the governments total inability to make any progress on this decades old problem. They dont seem to concerned on the ever rising body count. So yes, they are expendable. At least to our political and military leaders.

Edited February 10, 201313 yr by dcutman

Sadly another sad day for Thailand in the restive south, there's only one person to blame for all the deaths down there, Thailand , while you have clowns running the agenda with no knowledge of controlling this type of warfare, it might be time to ask for help, but then Thailand you have sat on your hands for the past thirty years and have done nothing, while the atrocities have slowly increased year by year, one can't expect miracles, however this isn't any help to those who have died or have suffered over the course of time .

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

There are NO EXPENDABLE people in the Army or civilians.

Each one has a family and is loved and now will be missed by their families.

A****le.

I made the a$$hole comment, because the governments total inability to make any progress on this decades old problem. They dont seem to concerned on the ever rising body count. So yes, they are expendable. At least to our political and military leaders.

Sadly another sad day for Thailand in the restive south, there's only one person to blame for all the deaths down there, Thailand , while you have clowns running the agenda with no knowledge of controlling this type of warfare, it might be time to ask for help, but then Thailand you have sat on your hands for the past thirty years and have done nothing, while the atrocities have slowly increased year by year, one can't expect miracles, however this isn't any help to those who have died or have suffered over the course of time .

Radical Muslims are a problem all over the world not just the south of Thailand and all countries are struggling to control death tolls caused by these Abnormal, Dictating types. They have only one agenda! Statements like you both have made is upsetting to the families that have loved ones in the armed forces trying to do something of significance!

Sadly another sad day for Thailand in the restive south, there's only one person to blame for all the deaths down there, Thailand , while you have clowns running the agenda with no knowledge of controlling this type of warfare, it might be time to ask for help, but then Thailand you have sat on your hands for the past thirty years and have done nothing, while the atrocities have slowly increased year by year, one can't expect miracles, however this isn't any help to those who have died or have suffered over the course of time .

"there's only one person to blame for all the deaths down there"

"Thailand you have sat on your hands for the past thirty years and have done nothing, while the atrocities have slowly increased year by year"

So who is this one person that presumably 30? (by your timing) years ago "is to blame for all the deaths down there"? Bit of a simplistic view don't you think?

You'd have thought that you would have put the timescale back to around 110 years ago when the Patani Sultanate was first annexed or mentioned the uprisings between the 40's and the 80's but Oh no, it's all down to one man, and I bet I can guess who that is, the harbinger of all that has gone wrong with Thailand.

Edited February 10, 201313 yr by muttley

SOUTH

Car bomb kills five soldiers, wounds another in Yala

YALA: -- Five Thai soldiers were killed and one critically injured Sunday when suspected separatist militants detonated a car bomb, the latest in a string of attacks in the southern region.

Officials said the soldiers were in a truck in Raman district of Yala province, 805 kilometres south of Bangkok, when they were blocked by a pickup truck at about 7 am.

As they approached, militants hiding nearby detonated explosives in the vehicle.

The insurgents stole five M-16 rifles and fled, Lt Gen Udomchai Thammasarorat said.

"We had been warning local authorities to be prepared for attacks by insurgents," he said. "We are on alert all the time, but today(the insurgents) had a chance and we failed to stop them." On Tuesday, four fruit merchants were shot dead in an attack police said was aimed at intimidating civilians and forcingnon-Muslims to leave the three Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

The militants are seeking independence from predominantly Buddhist Thailand.

About 5,300 people have been killed in bombings, shootings, beheadings and arson attacks since the long-running insurgency intensified in 2004.

thenation]2013-02-10[/thenation]

Instead of wasting money on blimps and useless bomb detectors why don't the authorities invest in more armoured vehicles instead of sending soldiers out on patrol on ,motor cycles or ordinary vehicles.

Instead of wasting money on blimps and useless bomb detectors why don't the authorities invest in more armoured vehicles instead of sending soldiers out on patrol on ,motor cycles or ordinary vehicles.

"A group of soldiers were driving a personnel carrier on Sai Thathong-Wangphraya road when a 50-kilogramme bomb hidden in a pick-up truck exploded."

That doesn't sound like they were on motorcycles or an 'ordinary vehicle', However, I do agree with you about the blimps and bomb detectors.

Edited February 10, 201313 yr by silverhawk_usa

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

There are NO EXPENDABLE people in the Army or civilians.

Each one has a family and is loved and now will be missed by their families.

A****le.

you were never drafted?

In my time at the army it was made very clear that we the drafted soldiers are expendable and will be used to slow down the enemy (while we of course get all killed). But that was in the developed Europe.....

Maybe it's time to ask Malaysia to play an intermediary role ?

By the way, I hope the Organisation of Islamic Countries is condemning such attacks as terrorism. This group sadly doesn't condemn Islamist terrorism as much as they should, I think.

Anti-Islam post has been deleted. The topic is about 5 soldiers being killed.

I hate reading these topics about the Thai South as they inevitably seem to bring out the bigots and people that have no clue about the reasons for the conflict nor the history of the region.

But its not terrorism

and no mention of it in the western media

I hate reading these topics about the Thai South as they inevitably seem to bring out the bigots and people that have no clue about the reasons for the conflict nor the history of the region.

I hate reading them too. I often wonder why the media bothers reporting about something that is as normal as apple trees growing and bearing fruit every year. I wonder about a lot of things lately regarding this matter:

What is the purpose of the media reporting every day events which lead to death, damage and destruction?

What is the purpose of the soldiers being down there if they act shocked every time one is killed?

Is this a police action, or a war or what? What is the goal?

Regarding the bigots; I think it is not necessarily true that every bigot is a bad person, nor do they have illegitimate reasons for being so biased. Sometimes bigots are the collateral damage left behind after the politicians go home to their palaces and mansions and kiss their children and wife good night.

I believe at this point that it has become apparent that Thailand is merely suppressing an issue that they simply do not know what do or how to act. Their uncertainty is apparent in the half-hearted measures that they are engaging in throughout the South. The soldiers are like clay pigeons being sent to the target shoot.

Putting aside what the politicians and generals are saying, does anyone really understand the purpose of these soldiers being down there? I believe the issue has become quite cloudy and is augmenting on a daily basis as the death, damage and destructive toll increases. I believe this cloudiness is a typical side-effect of Thai problem solving skills. They simply do not know how to deal with this and their FACE will not allow them to seek a solution that is outside of their extremely narrow and confined comfort zone.

Stay tuned for more incessant daily articles on the follies of K.Humpty Dumpty.

Its a good thing the RTA has so many expendable people.

There are NO EXPENDABLE people in the Army or civilians.

Each one has a family and is loved and now will be missed by their families.

A****le.

you were never drafted?

In my time at the army it was made very clear that we the drafted soldiers are expendable and will be used to slow down the enemy (while we of course get all killed). But that was in the developed Europe.....

It must have been a long time ago as Nation Service formally ended in the UK on 31 December 1960 and the last national serviceman was discharged in May 1963 some 50 years ago. I joined the RAF as a boy on January 28th 1960 and served proudly for 25 years.

But its not terrorism

and no mention of it in the western media

Maybe you missed this bit then.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17295840

Four soldiers have been killed in southern Thailand after suspected militants detonated a roadside bomb.

Maybe it's time to ask Malaysia to play an intermediary role ?

By the way, I hope the Organisation of Islamic Countries is condemning such attacks as terrorism. This group sadly doesn't condemn Islamist terrorism as much as they should, I think.

OIC has condemned terrorism (look at their news releases on their main web page). as well as violence in the Deep South a number of times, just not that well covered in main steam international media e.g.

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/oic-condemns-bombing-in-southern-thailand-1.722

And "warned against the growing phenomenon of extremism and violence in a wide region of the Muslim world. In his statement at the opening session of the Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt today, Monday, February 4, 2013, which precedes the 12th Islamic Summit Conference, Ihsanoglu called the Member States to work side by side to eradicate extremism". Source:

http://www.oic-oci.org/topic_detail.asp?t_id=7706

I hate reading these topics about the Thai South as they inevitably seem to bring out the bigots and people that have no clue about the reasons for the conflict nor the history of the region.

Yep. I agree with you one million percent. I am someone who also speaks very harshly against Islamists but I know how to differentiate between ordinary, peace-loving Muslims and jihadi-types. The forum-bigots use such threads to speak out their hatred in general.

It is quite a similar situation in gay-related threads and in threads involving Africans in Thailand.

Sad.

Maybe it's time to ask Malaysia to play an intermediary role ?

By the way, I hope the Organisation of Islamic Countries is condemning such attacks as terrorism. This group sadly doesn't condemn Islamist terrorism as much as they should, I think.

OIC has condemned terrorism (look at their news releases on their main web page). as well as violence in the Deep South a number of times, just not that well covered in main steam international media e.g.

http://www.nst.com.m...-thailand-1.722

And "warned against the growing phenomenon of extremism and violence in a wide region of the Muslim world. In his statement at the opening session of the Foreign Ministers meeting in Cairo, Egypt today, Monday, February 4, 2013, which precedes the 12th Islamic Summit Conference, Ihsanoglu called the Member States to work side by side to eradicate extremism". Source:

http://www.oic-oci.o...l.asp?t_id=7706

Ok, thanks. Fair enough. I guess you are right that such expressions of condemnations are not written on mainstreeam media.