New cooking gas cylinders that cause less damage if used as bombs will be distributed in the troubled southern border provinces, say security officials.
The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) on Friday approved the pilot project in light of southern insurgents' frequent use of gas cylinders in explosive devices.
The new cylinders are made of a fibreglass and resin composite material that would be less dangerous to life and property if used to make a home-made bomb, when compared with conventional metal gas cylinders.
The composite cylinders would be produced by PAP Gas and Oil Co and made available for use in communities in the three southern border provinces, said Maj Gen Surachart Jitjang, chief of public relations at the Office of the Defence Minister.
Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) team members from the Isoc Region 4 Forward Command tested and appraised the composite cylinders using three different methods involving gun and bomb attacks.
The tests included shooting an empty cylinder and a gas-filled cylinder with a firearm; detonating a 550-gramme TNT block near a gas cylinder; and stuffing 25 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil in it and detonating it.
The findings indicated that the cylinder made of composite material could be pierced, damaged or blown away in all of the tests, as could the metal cylinder.
However, in the explosion tests, experts found broken pieces from the composite cylinder were smaller and lighter and travelled a much shorter distance than those from a metal one, Maj Gen Surachart said.