Journalists among 10 hurt in Thai south blasts

[Lite Beer]

Journalists among 10 hurt in Thai south blasts

BANGKOK, October 19, 2013 (AFP) - A double bomb attack in Thailand's restive south Saturday injured 10 people, almost half of them journalists including an AFP photographer, police said.

An initial explosion early Saturday in Narathiwat, one of several insurgency-prone provinces, apparently targeted an army patrol injuring six military personnel, police said.

Journalists who rushed to the scene were standing at a distance from the original bomb site when the second device exploded near them, said AFP photographer Madaree Tohala who was injured in the blast.

"We were chatting on the side of the road while we waited for authorities to do their jobs," Madaree said.

"I don't know how it happened, I heard a big explosion which was not far from where I was standing and when I opened my eyes I saw my reporter friends lying on the street," he said.

Almost a decade of conflict has left more than 5,700 people dead in the Thai south.

Shadowy groups of Muslim militants, calling for autonomy for the region, have waged near-daily bomb and gun attacks, targeting security forces and civilians from both the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

Madaree, who was hit by shrapnel in the back and ear, was being treated at a provincial hospital Saturday.

The other three reporters, including one woman, were believed to be from local television stations. None of them are thought to have been seriously hurt.

Three of the army personnel injured were said to be in a critical condition.

Violence erupted in the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia in 2004.

As the conflict has continued, rights groups have also accused Thai authorities of alleged human rights abuses and efforts to weave the culturally distinct south into the kingdom.

People of both religions are considered targets of the militants for their supposed collusion with the state, with teams of troops flanking monks on their rounds and teachers as they make their way to and from school.

But attacks on journalists in the region are rare.

Violence in the south continues despite several rounds of peace talks, hosted by Malaysia, between the Thai authorities and one of a network of rebel groups.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-10-19

[bigbamboo]

Terrorists injuring or killing journalists is never good for a country's image, even worse when they're from international agencies.

[hellodolly]

Some how I don't think the terrorists are interested in how good Thailand looks to other countries.

They feel they are doing the work of Allah. If they can gain political control they can bring in Sharia law and be saints in the eyes of Allah.

[noitom]

6,000 "reported" deaths. Can you imagine the true figure not scrubbed by Thais? What's really amazing with all these years and all these deaths reported and unreported that we rarely if ever actually hear about foreign journalists in the Thai south. We've asked this question before and assumed that they were all hanging out in the FCCT drinking with other journalists. It's great to see that some of them are down there in the Thai south. Maybe one of these days we'll get some real reporting on the Thai south and find out the truth.

[simple1]

6,000 "reported" deaths. Can you imagine the true figure not scrubbed by Thais? What's really amazing with all these years and all these deaths reported and unreported that we rarely if ever actually hear about foreign journalists in the Thai south. We've asked this question before and assumed that they were all hanging out in the FCCT drinking with other journalists. It's great to see that some of them are down there in the Thai south. Maybe one of these days we'll get some real reporting on the Thai south and find out the truth.

Sorry, but you keep posting this nonsense, some examples of Western media coverage of the deep South in the past year or so by non Thai journalists at the URL below. Many other western media organisations also cover the conflict such as CNN, AFP & Reuters.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-secret-war-in-thailands-deep-south-8550581.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/the-secret-war-in-thailands-deep-south-8550581.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21504125

http://world.time.com/2012/04/23/thailand-insurgency/

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/05/the-strange-thai-insurgents-who-like-sorcery-and-get-high-on-cough-syrup/275614/

Edited October 20, 2013 by simple1

[Mampara]

Tactics have changed, which shows help from others, plant a second bomb near the first one to maximize the damage.

[sunshine51]

Get well soon Madaree...

[Suradit69]

Terrorists injuring or killing journalists is never good for a country's image, even worse when they're from international agencies.

I would have thought anyone going about systematically killing anyone would be a bad thing. Concern about image or exaggerated concern about journalists (mainly exaggerated by journalists), as opposed to the rest of humanity, seems largely irrelevant.

There's a reason why Afghanistan, Iraq, Zimbabwe and Haiti don't attract a lot of fun-in-the-sun tourists, and I doubt the welfare of journalists is the primary factor.