Two people were killed and scores injured in a car bomb attack in downtown Betong of Yala province yesterday afternoon.
Downtown Betong district of Yala resembles a war zone after a car bomb exploded, killing two people and injuring many others yesterday. The bomb went off outside a hotel on the busy Bhakdi Road. PHOTOS BY MALUDING DEETO
Authorities said the scale of the attack was surprising.
Col Banpot Poonpian, spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), yesterday said security is being stepped up across the southern region including Songkhla’s Hat Yai district.
The bomb went off at 4.50pm in front of the Holiday Hill Hotel (Futuna) on Bhakdi Road, a busy commercial and residential area, in Betong district. The explosives were hidden in a pickup truck parked outside the hotel.
The explosion killed two people and injured at least 40. It also damaged a house, a convenience store, cars and motorcycles.
Security officers cordoned off the area to keep people out. Rescue workers and ambulances rushed to the scene and ferried the injured to Yala Hospital.
“The attack was the largest in seven years to hit Betong,” said Khunawut Mongkolprachak, Betong mayor.
The district was rocked by bomb attacks on six commercial banks on Dec 31, 2006.
Pol Col Wasant Puangnoi, superintendent of Betong police station, said the pickup truck used in the bomb attack was reported stolen from Pattani’s Nong Chik district on June 1.
He said the explosion went off 15 minutes after the vehicle was left in front of the hotel.
According to authorities, the two dead victims were identified as Pennapa Huntor and Chedo Dareeyoh.
The attack has sparked fears that southern violence is spilling over into the southernmost district and raised concerns as it comes just three days before Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month, concludes.
Col Banpot said yesterday Betong is where an attack had been least expected.
“It is surprising that there was an attack that has caused such extensive damage in Betong,” he said.
Betong is Yala’s southernmost tourist town and its business district.
Col Banpot said an initial probe indicated the attackers took the opportunity to plant the bomb when civilian security teams changed shift.
“The situation [in the district] was quite good [before the attack],” he said.
He said Army Commander Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, chief of the National Council for Peace and Order, has ordered security agencies to keep a close watch on the situation, especially for car bomb threats.
Col Pramote Prom-in, the spokesman for Isoc Region 4, said Gen Prayuth had ordered 4th Army Commander Walit Rojanaphakdi to bring the situation under control as soon as possible.
He said Lt Gen Walit has called a meeting with authorities concerned to assess the situation and track down the bombers.
A source said Gen Prayuth earlier told security forces to tighten security and keep a close watch on the situation in the lead-up to the end of Ramadan.
The source said intelligence reports indicated a possibility of car bombs during this period.
Meanwhile, there was no let-up in the violence in Narathiwat where a ranger volunteer was killed and three seriously hurt in another bomb attack yesterday.
The bomb exploded at 3.30pm when a team of rangers providing protection for teachers was walking along the Samkia-Sukhirin road in Sukhirin district of the province.