Explosions In Hat Yai

[qualtrough]

I recall reading the first in the series you mentioned on the BBC and being surprised that it did not mention any of the historical background to this issue. Did any of the subsequent reports deal with this? This issue has come up from time to time on the forum and it is clear that a lot of readers think that the Southern unrest is some kind of post 9/11 issue, whereas the roots of this conflict go way back.

Without any understanding of the history of the region no real understanding of what is going on is possible. I will say that the Thaksin response has not helped matters. In fact, it has poured gasoline on the fire. Slaughtering a large number of for the most part unarmed men in a mosque and killing a good number of protesters by stacking them like cordwood in trucks really escalated things, and a lot of what we see now is payback for those and other deeds. If Thailand adopts the US response to this kind of issue then Thailand is in for very grim times indeed.

[cclub75]

If the Thai government were really smart, they would start talks with the more moderate leaders NOW on some regional autonomy or power sharing solution.

But frankly, the chance of that in the current political situation in Thailand is virtually nil.

The conclusion therefore is that the situation will get worse before it gets better.

I agree. The only option would be to start (even small) a policital process with discussion. And quickly.

Even the worst ennemies like Tamil Tigers and Sri Lanka are talking.

It could work if we were still in a "local" insurgency scheme (opposite to the "muslim global terrorism" i spoke about). At that point we don't really know (until now, the insurgents don't really have make a step in order to talk with the government or to express the desire to talk....)

The problem is that... Bangkok will have great difficulty to do that because of the very strong thai nationalism. That's the weak point.

Meanwhile, Thaksin is a hardliner. So he won't negociate. So more violence, the insurgents will gain in strengh etc. It's the scenario of escalation. And eventually, the insurgents will bring their fight right into Bangkok to get attention or to have more cards for futur negociations.

[sriracha john]

Thai policemen examine damage after a series of bomb blasts ripped through three department stores, in the region's main commercial center of Hat Yai, south Thailand Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, killing four and injuring dozens more, police said. The bombs planted on motorbikes were triggered simultaneously at 9:15 p.m. local time in the Hat Yai business district in Songkhla province, Pol. Col. Pattanawut Angkanawin said.(AP)

[farangsay]

I passed through Hat Yai a couple of years ago , en route to Penang.

We stopped for a few beers.

As it happened , the only people we spoke to were Thai (no I don't ask people their

religion).

Possibly for that reason I spent time this evening thinking of the people who

have just been killed or maimed.

Salaam amelekum to the innocents.

[Couthy]

Ermm,

I am a little bit confused here : It is reported that these bombs had a blast radius of 20 metres.

Now, being no expert, but having been in Ireland with the Brit military in the late 70's - the Irish chappies were the worlds experts at making bombs and very good at it they were as countless maimed Irish people will testify to - or indeed look at them.

As a matter of course they blew up the banks region of London - that was a serious bomb but with their warning in advance nobody was injured or killed - didn't half hit the banking sector though.

In the first pic we have a pic of the wreckage of a motorcycle, presumably exploded.

5 metres away (max) the tissues are still in their holders and none of the beer bottles have been knocked over.

There are blood stains on the sidewalk plus a helmet that is undamaged.

The car behind the motorcycle is undamaged.

On immediate inspection (having had to examine such situations many years ago) this would appear to have been an own goal - whatever the guy on the motorcyle was carrying went off prematurely and he absorbed most of the blast. As these things are, they will find his head on a roof top. Well, up somewhere.

Still, it is all quite horrible and disgusting and seems to an increased level.

How does this tie in with the new visa laws and even more reason not to have foreigners in what is a country that can be increasingly dangerous and with ever more restrictive guidlines alowing them to remain?.

Just think - one big one in Nana. Think about it. The prospect is appalling and I for one hope to the bottom of my heart that it never, ever happens. But, for those who want to do these things..........

People are the worst thing that ever happened to this planet.

Couthy.

Thai policemen examine damage after a series of bomb blasts ripped through three department stores, in the region's main commercial center of Hat Yai, south Thailand Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, killing four and injuring dozens more, police said. The bombs planted on motorbikes were triggered simultaneously at 9:15 p.m. local time in the Hat Yai business district in Songkhla province, Pol. Col. Pattanawut Angkanawin said.(AP)

[udon]

Wonder how many of the dead and injured are Muslims

Probably a lot, but the bombers don't give a <deleted>.

[sriracha john]

TV image of the aftermath from one of six bombs detonated Saturday in Hat Yai, Thailand. (CBC)

Canadian dies in Thai bomb attack

A Canadian was killed in Thailand on Saturday when Muslim separatists detonated six simultaneous bombs in a busy tourist shopping street.

Rodney Moore, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs in Ottawa, told CBC News Saturday that Canadian officials were aware that a Canadian had died in the Thai blast, but he declined to disclose the person's name, citing privacy laws.

Thai police later identified the deceased Canadian as Jessie Lee Daniel, 35, whose home town was not immediately known.

Two Thai nationals, a man and a woman, also died when the bombs exploded in the town of Hat Yai, the main commercial and shopping centre in southern Thailand.

Early reports indicated that a fourth person may also have died, while about 68 were injured. The injured were believed to include two Malaysians, a Singaporean and two unidentified Westerners.

Daniel was killed when separatists set off a series of remote control bombs that were hidden inside six motorcycles parked in the centre of the town's shopping and hotel district.

Bombs spark panic

Two bombs exploded in front of a pub and car park at the Odean Shopping Mall, and a third bomb exploded at a nearby massage parlour, according to the Associated Press. A fourth bomb exploded in a Big C department store and another at a restroom in Diana Department Stores.

"After the explosions, Thai and Malaysian tourists were running for cover and screaming," witness Att Suwanjunee told ITV television. "It was unusually busy tonight because many Malaysian tourists came during their national day holidays."

Television footage showed burning cars and the streets crowded with rescue vehicles and anxious onlookers.

Police immediately shut down the town's mobile telephone network in case the insurgents were planning to set off other bombs using cell telephones.

Muslim insurgents blamed

Thai police blamed the attack on Muslim insurgents who have waged a long separatist campaign in this largely Buddhist country.

"We do believe that the insurgents are responsible for the bomb attack," military spokesman Lt.-Gen. Palangoon Klaharn told the Associated Press. "Their intention is to spread fear in the region."

Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, commander of the Thai army, had earlier placed soldiers on high alert after reports that Muslim separatists under the Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Pattani were planning attacks to mark the anniversary of the group's founding.

The group has been blamed for a bloody separatist campaign that has left 1,700 dead since 2004.

They have hit banks, department stores, hotels, schools and government offices during their two-year campaign. Last year, they bombed the Hat Yai International Airport, killing two people.

- CBC

[sriracha john]

A bar owner helps an injured customer in this television grab taken on September 16, 2006, after remote-controlled bombs hidden in motorcycles went off in the southern Thai town of Hat Yai. Six simultaneous motorcycle bombs killed at least three people and wounded more than 60 on the busy street of shops and hotels, police said.

REUTERS

A screen grab from a television station, shows security checking the damage from a bomb explosion in Hat Yai, southern Thailand. One western tourist was killed when several blasts ripped through a neighborhood in southern Thailand's Hat Yai city, which is popular with foreigners, police said.

AFP

[udon]

SJ,

thanks for the updates.

Very sparse reporting outside of Thailand.

Bugger all news in Aus except for 1 report on the ABC website

cheers.

[sriracha john]

Additional updated excerpts:

BANGKOK -- At least five people were killed and over 70 others were injured in six bomb attacks Saturday night in Thai southern province of Songkhla, a military source told Xinhua.

One bomb was triggered inside a Chinese food restaurant where many foreigners, mainly Malaysian travelers, were having supper.

Police said the bomb at the massage parlour near the Odean shopping center killed five men immediately because the blast occurred while they were walking into the parlour.

Another 70 injured people had been rushed to the Hat Yai Hospital while some officials complained that the blood supply was not enough.

A reporter on the spot said the central city has fallen into chaos. Local police said the attackers used mobile phone signal to trigger the home-made bombs one by one and the blast happened one after another in every five minutes.

(Xinhua)

[sriracha john]

Excerpt regarding an event BEFORE the bombings started going off:

Earlier Saturday, some 1,500 Muslims gathered in a mosque amid tight security to call for peace in the restive south in what the military said was a sign that civilians are growing weary of the indiscriminate bombings and shootings.

"This is an attempt to build confidence among people and show that the government wants to cooperate with people to solve the problems peacefully," said Lt. Gen. Vaipot Srinual, chief of the Armed Forces Security Center, who organized the event.

The southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been rocked by a violent insurgency since 2004 which has claimed more than 1,700 lives. The provinces are the only ones in Thailand with a Muslim majority and citizens there have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the country's Buddhist majority.

Villagers, including women wearing head scarves and former insurgents waving Thai flags, gathered at the Central Mosque in Yala province, to pray for peace. The event was heavily guarded by security forces and mobile phone service was cut for two hours over fears that insurgents might detonate bombs using cell phones.

"We hope they will spread the message to insurgents or their sympathizers to help solve the problems by peaceful means," Vaipot said.

But some of the attendees said the army also needs to work to improve relations between soldiers and a suspicious community if it wants to win over people. "They have to approach people, listen to them and help them solve their problems," said Prasert Binratkaew, a Muslim who attended the event.

Some 20,000 troops have stationed in the southern region since 2004 but have failed to quell the violence, despite being under Martial Law.

- Associated Press

[sriracha john]

Excerpt of the carnage involved:

Thai television showed bloodied victims lying in restaurants or being led to safety by rescue personnel, as vehicles burned in streets strewn with shattered glass and overturned tables and chairs.

One body was shown covered with a white sheet next to an overturned motorcycle. Dozens of other motorcycles and larger vehicles also appeared to be destroyed.

As day broke, crowds of shocked onlookers stood amid debris and pools of blood at the blast sites. Pieces of motorcycle littered the street outside a bar where one explosion occurred, shredding nearby awnings and peppering walls with bits of shrapnel.

- New Straits Times

[sriracha john]

Police officials search for evidence at a bomb scene in the southern Thai city Hat Yai, early September 17, 2006. Six simultaneous motorcycle bombs killed at least four people and wounded more than 70 on a busy street in the southern Thai town of Hat Yai on Saturday, police said. REUTERS

Locals and police officials stand near by a bomb scene in the southern Thai city Hat Yai early September 17, 2006.

REUTERS

[lopburi3]

Reports continue here

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=83696