Rocket believed fired by militants hit a house in Bacho district of Narathiwat

NARATHIWAT: Police and members of the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) unit were rushed to a man’s residence in Narathiwat’s Bacho district on Friday to examine an object thought to be a prototype rocket suspected to be fired by militants.

The suspected rocket has a 4 inches diameter, weighs about ten kilogrammes and is stuffed with explosives. It crashed into the house of Mr Muhamed Rusdee in Ban Yalutong, Tambon Kayomalee, Bacho district on Thursday night. It did not exdplode and no one was injured.

The security forces found what was believed to be the launch site of the rocket which is about 200 metres from Mr Rusdee’s house. At the site, they found a PVC tube about five-inch in diameter and about one metre long buried about 70 cm into the ground, an electrical wire tied to dry-cell batteries.

Traces of explosives were also detected at the site.

An informed security source said that the rocket might be in the experimental stage and the militants might have test-fired the rocket to test its effectiveness.

The source added that the militants might intend to switch from roadside bombings to rocket attacks because the old tactic put them at risk of being caught.

A similar rocket was reported in Pattani’s Nong Chik district on January 28.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/149740

-- Thai PBS 2016-01-05

Thai police find pipe bomb rocket in southern insurgent zone

HAT YAI, Thailand (AP) — Police in southern Thailand, where Muslim separatists are staging an insurgency, said they found and disarmed a small improvised explosive rocket on Friday similar to ones discovered for the first time last month.

Police Col. Patta Madawa said the device, which looks like a pipe bomb with fins, fell into the living room of a house in Narathiwat province and was defused by demolition experts. Police later found a launching device on a football field at a nearby Muslim school.

Last month, after several similar devices were found by authorities, the separatist Patani United Liberation Organization said it was targeting Thai army bases with rocket attacks, though it is unclear if any launches were carried out.

More than 5,000 people have been killed since an insurgency erupted in 2004 in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, the only ones with Muslim majorities in the Buddhist-dominated country. Last year the level of violence dropped, according to official figures, but peace talks have made little apparent progress.

A police explosives expert who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media said the device found Friday did not appear to have been aimed at a target, and was probably just a test. The rocket, made of 4-inch (10-centimeter) diameter pipe, was similar to a pipe bomb and contained ball bearings to serve as shrapnel. He said it had elements similar to rockets found in Pattani province in January and it was likely they were produced at the same place.

The insurgents are known for drive-by shootings and bombs placed on parked motorcycle and cars. They are not known to have used homemade rockets before, and those discovered in January apparently were not actually fired.

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-02-06

....it seems that 'the rocket' could not even reach its target....???

Now then, where in the world this dabbling with rockets can be seen also?

Peacetalks with Muslims?

Not possible.

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. The following is an example of a non supporting link:

2016-01-25

I thought the army said last month that everything was peaceful, in the South ?