View Full Version : HatYai BombWarning-Chalerm
Three bombs exploded at Odean Department Store on Niphat Uthit 3 in Hat-Yai City Center at about 21:00 this evening. The downtown was fairly crowded with Malaysian and Singaporean tourists this evening. A public holiday down south apparently. Mobile phonelines have been cut. It is thought there were quite a few casualties. This news has broken only on TV so far. Nothing in Bangkok newspapers as yet!
Two dead. Pictures currently been shown on Channel 7.
I was close to the scene, but left just before it happened.
Another bomb reported on the fifth floor of the Diana 2 department store, in a bathroom near the multiplex cinema.
Big C is being mentioned too. I would guess right now that it is a bomb in each place, rather than 3 bombs at Odean.
4 people known dead. The bombs may have been packed with small pieces of metal.
The Nation finally reported the bombs at approx. 22:45 as breaking news: -
Hat Yai, Songkhla - Five people were killed and over 50 others were injured in four bomb attacks Saturday night.
The four bombs went off one after another at 9 pm.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30013847
Three 2bkk.com correspondents narrowly avoided being caught up in a second Odean Dept. Store bomb blast in Saneh Anusorn road. We left a seafood restaurant on that same street only a short time before the blasts: -
Five killed, 50 injured in Hat Yai blasts
Hat Yai, Songkhla - Five people were killed and over 50 others were injured in four bomb attacks Saturday night.
The four bombs went off nearly at the same time at 9 pm.
The first blast occurred at the entrance to This' Wonder Pub located in the underground floor of Odion Shopping Mall Center on Thammanoon Withi Road.
Then, another bomb went off at the entrance of the car park of Odean Shopping Mall on the side of Sanehha Nusorn Road.
The third bomb exploded in front of a massage parlour about 70 metres away from the two first bombs.
The fourth bomb exploded in front of Big C superstore.
Police said the bomb at the massage parlour killed five men immediately because the blast occurred while they were walking into the parlour.
About 50 injured people had been rushed to the Hat Yai Hospital.
The sounds of the blasts prompted some 1,000 Thai and foreign tourists to flee from their hotels, causing turmoil on the roads.
Following the bombs, many entertainment venues asked the patrons to leave and they closed down for fear of more attacks.
Fourth Army Area commander Lt Gen Ongkorn Thongprasom said he had deployed bomb disposal officers to Hat Yai to check for more bombs and ordered the cancellation of mobile phone signals in the area for fear that militants would use mobile phones to detonate more bombs.
Some businessmen in Hat Yai said they had received warnings from the authorities that the militants might launch attacks to mark the anniversary of the Patani State on September 16.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/16/headlines/headlines_30013848.php
And it seems all three of us passed the spot outside Lee Gardens shortly before the explosions:-
SOUTHERN VIOLENCE
Six blasts rock Hat Yai
Two foreigners among five killed in attacks on hotel, department stores
Five people were killed and about 60 injured in a series of six explosions in Hat Yai's business centre last night. The blasts went off at two shopping malls, one of the city's biggest hotels and three other locations.
Witnesses said the bombs went off at roughly five-minute intervals starting at around 9pm, when the area was crowded with tourists and locals going out to dine and for night entertainment.
Two of the dead were foreigners - one Chinese and one Westerner. The injured were sent to nearby hospitals including Raj Yindee Hospital, Krungthep-Hadyai Hospital and Songkhla Nakharin Hospital.
The first bomb to go off was on Thammanoon Withi Road, at the entrance to a pub called Deep Wonder in the basement of the Odean Shopping Mall. The second bomb went off at a junction a few hundred metres down the road, and the third one another few hundred metres on.
The fourth bomb went off in front of the Lee Garden Hotel, destroying tuk-tuks parked there.
The fifth explosion was at the Big C Supercentre and the last was in a restroom of a movie theatre on the fifth floor of Diana Shopping Centre.
The bombs damaged a numbers of cars and motorcycles in the vicinity.
Police said each blast had a radius of 20 metres and that they had found pieces of metal suspected to be part of the bombs.
Officials believe the bomb at the Odean Shopping Mall was planted inside a motorcycle and detonated by mobile phone. Soon after the explosions, all unattended motorcycles nearby were moved away and people were evacuated from the area for fear of more explosions.
Thammanoonwithi Road is one of the most crowded roads in Hat Yai City, with more than 10 hotels along its length. More than 1,000 tourists, both Thais and foreigners, were checked in at the hotels. All were evacuated.
Senior Police Officer Ongkorn Thongprasom said police had received reports that such bomb attacks were likely between September 16 and 20.
"After this bombing, we have to seriously discuss security measures for the area. For sure, the impact on tourism will be large," he said.
Just two weeks ago, intelligence officials predicted stronger, more vigorous attacks by militants in the deep South between September 16 and 20 since this is the week to celebrate the setting up of the Pattani Islamic Mujahideen and Pattani State.
Srisompob Jitpiromsri, an academic who studies trends in the insurgency, said after a spate of bombings in Yala two weeks ago that the insurgents would continue to "show their force" through more coordinated, simultaneous attacks.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/17/headlines/headlines_30013851.php
I was just at the Odeon site in Hat Yai and took some photos. I will post them Monday.
Additional Comment from GWR: It is actually Odean with an A. It's either a spelling mistake that has endured, or its derivation is not entirely the most obvious cinematic one.
Still some doubt about the number of fatalities: -
Canadian among people killed in south Thailand blasts
HAT YAI - Four people, including two foreigners, were killed overnight after five bombs ripped through a popular tourist area in Thailand's mostly-Muslim south, police said Sunday.
Two, including a Canadian holidaymaker, were killed instantly by the multiple blasts, police told AFP, adding that two more later died of their injuries.
A female Chinese tourist was among the dead, officials at Songklanakarin hospital said. Some 62 others were wounded in the blasts, including 11 foreigners, according to police.
"There are four people dead and another 62 people wounded in five bomb blasts last night," said Paitoon Pattanasophon, police chief in Songkhla province, where Hat Yai -- southern Thailand's tourist hub -- is located.
Police say the bombs exploded almost simultaneously in an area crowded with bars and cafes, as well as at department stores, late Saturday.
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.
Parts of Songkhla province are under martial law as the government struggles to contain an Islamic insurgency that has killed more than 1,400 people since January 2004, mostly in the three southern-most Muslim-majority provinces bordering Malaysia.
Agence France-Presssea
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30013852
Crown Prince to visit Hat Yai bomb victims
His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will visit Songkhla Sunday evening to visit those injured in Hat Yai bomb blasts, the provincial governor said.
Governor Somporn Chaibangyang said the Crown Prince would also be briefed on the bomb attacks which happened Saturday night.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30013854
TV reports say a Canadian, who was killed in the Hat Yai bomb attacks Saturday night, was identified as Daniel.
No further information on his surname and the city where he came from.
Following are the lists of hospitals where people injured in Hat Yai bomb blats have been admitted:
Songkhla Nakharin Hospital: 30 people
Raj Yindee Hat Yai Hospital: 15 people
Hat Yai Hospital: 16 people
Sikhirin Hat Yai Hospital: 2 people
Bangkok Hat Yai Hospital: 2 people
Yappofloyd
17-09-06, 03:10 PM
Three 2bkk.com correspondents narrowly avoided being caught up in a second Odean Dept. Store bomb blast in Saneh Anusorn road. We left a seafood restaurant on that same street only a short time before the blasts: -
Khun GWR, glad to hear that the the 3 of you were not injured. Condolences to all in hospital or who lost friends/family.
Thanks for that Khun Yappofloyd.
Canadian victim fully identified as Jessie Lee Daniel
Hat Yai - Police said the Canadian tourist who was killed in a bomb attack in this tourist town Saturday night was identified as Jessie Lee Daniel.
Police said his body was being kept at the Hat Yai Hospital pending contact by his immediate relatives.
Daniel was killed in a bomb that exploded in front of the Cherry Tradition Massage Parlour, which is located next to Indra Hat Yai Hotel.
Hospital officials said only his friends came to check about him but so far no relatives had contacted the hospital.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30013857
Has anyone seen any report that mentioned any individual/group claiming responsibility for these attacks?
Security chiefs yesterday admitted a loophole in efforts to protect Hat Yai from bombings but were reluctant to expand the executive decree to cover the southern city for fears of affecting tourism and business confidence.
'Loophole' appears to mean something that ITV apparently touched on - that the Police were aware that three potentially bomb-laden motorcycles were on their way from the deep south to Hat-Yai, but for some reason failed to intercept them. This is all rather vague, but it could translate into something fundamental such as a lack of vehicles suitable for rapid (and even offroad) pursuit. And perhaps even poorly coordinated communication between units manning roadblocks. It is known, for example, that Bangkok Police are almost powerless in the face of motorcycle racing by relatively small but powerful machines. I think it is no exaggeration to say here that the problems in the deep south have worsened because the struggle has moved on from the more politicised old guard to much younger individuals; whose greivances and motivations are partially similar to the gang youth culture that we see in Bangkok and other cities.
Daniel was a Hat Yai resident who taught English at the city's Phol Vidaya school. He was the first westerner to die in the renewal of extremist violence in the Thai South which began in January, 2004, according to police and health ministry officials in Hat Yai.
Around 90 people were wounded in the attacks. They included an Australian seven Malaysian tourists and a Malaysian restaurant owner. All were out of hospital this (Monday) morning, but one Malaysian reportedly will require further surgery at home.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=112983
BangkokPundit
18-09-06, 05:14 PM
Has anyone seen any report that mentioned any individual/group claiming responsibility for these attacks?
No one ever does. Personally, it is brilliant strategic ploy and I see it as deliberate because the conspiracy of silence (http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369684) allows for all these conspiracy theories about the CIA/Pentagon/Thai government being behind the attack. See Tom's post (http://sanpaworn.vissaventure.com/?id=104) for an example.
Thanks for that!
An interesting dimension to the aftermath of these bombings is that some in the outside world seem to be considering the possibility that they are some kind of reaction to the Pope's controversial prognostications. I've heard this several times in the last two days - even locally. Not many have heard that this might be a commemoration of the establishment of a separatist organization. There doesn't seem to be much evidence that local insurgent groups react much to more global events.
Here's another Jamestown.org doc that might be useful to anyone confused by local acronyms. Extract from 'A Breakdown of Southern Thailand's Insurgent Groups' by Zachary Abuza. The one thing that worries me about this list is that Zachary may have partly bought into the mindset of the Thai intelligence-gathering community, which has a long history of labelling fairly plain radicals as militants : -
The Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO)
PULO was founded in India in 1968 by Kabir Abdul Rahman, a Pattani aristocrat and Islamic scholar educated in the Middle East. The founding ideology was "religion, race, homeland, humanitarianism." His goal was to establish an independent Muslim state through armed struggle. PULO splintered, and by the mid-1990s it was all but defunct, with much of its aging leadership living in exile in Europe. PULO held a watershed "reunification congress that brought together some 40 leading PULO figures from Thailand, Europe and the Middle East between April 29 and May 1, 2005 in Damascus" in an attempt to bring itself back from irrelevancy [1].
PULO has taken a degree of responsibility through web site postings warning foreigners to stay away from southern Thailand, but they have no control over the insurgents [2]. PULO has held secret talks with the government, but this seems to be an attempt by them to leverage their limited degree of influence. A PULO spokesman recently caused controversy in an August 9 report aired by the BBC when he suggested that PULO could carry-out terrorist attacks in Bangkok: "Maybe we will target other areas, like Bangkok or Phuket—I can't guarantee it won't happen" (BBC, August 9). Yet, this goes against most of what the PULO leadership has stated and against the reality that PULO has no operational control over the insurgents.
PULO has always been a very secular organization, emphasizing Pattani secessionism, not religion. Yet this fact ignores the extreme religious undertones and forced implementation of Salafi values on the society. Former PULO members are very clearly involved in the insurgency, but it is not clear whether they are fighting in PULO's name or whether they have joined forces with newer and more radical organizations. Clearly, their experience in cross-border operations and their control or ownership of land that can be used for training has been important for the younger insurgents. Yet, even PULO leaders admit that the Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Koordinasi (BRN-C) is spearheading the insurgency.
Barisan Revolusi Nasional-Koordinasi
The BRN-C was one of three splinters of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (National Revolution Front, BRN), which was opposed to the nationalist agenda of PULO. The BRN was founded in March 1963 by Ustadz Haji Abdul Karim Hassan and developed close ties to the Communist Party of Malaya and was influenced by the ideology of pan-Arab socialism. By 1984, the BRN had three discernable factions: BRN-Congress, BRN-Coordinate and BRN-Uran. The BRN-Congress, under the leadership of Jehku Peng (Rosa Bursao), pursued a military struggle. The BRN-Coordinate, or BRN-C, under Haji M, pursued a more political struggle in the mosques and emerged as the largest and best organized of the three groups.
BRN-C is distinctly Islamist and developed through a large network of mosques and Islamic schools. Thai intelligence now speaks of the insurgency as being a "pondok-based" movement. General Pisarn Wattanawongkeeree, the former commander of Thai armed forces in the south, said, "There is no doubt that the basis for this new insurgency are the ustadz (religious teachers). This is something that has been in the making for a long time" (Time Magazine Asian Edition, October 11, 2004). A police official stated, "We suspect some [Islamic] schools might have played a significant role in these shootouts. We think that they might have been used as training grounds for militants, or teachers might have indoctrinated their pupils with fundamentalist ideologies" (Reuters, May 7, 2004). There is now a critical mass: some 2,500 graduates of Middle Eastern institutions who have returned to the south.
The BRN-C is attempting to become a mass organization. In a BRN document that was found in Narathiwat's Joh I Rong district, the authors outlined a plan to increase popular support to between 200,000 and 300,000 people, 10 percent of whom were to be recruited into the paramilitary wing (author interview, Bangkok, April 20, 2005). Its main recruitment vehicle is a student organization, Pemuda (Youth), established in 1992. The Thai government has "blacklisted some 4,000 youths for suspected involvement in Pemuda" (Thai News Agency, January 13, 2005).
The number of members in the BRN-C is not known, but Thai officials estimate that there are approximately 1,000 members. Its current leaders are, for the most part, schoolteachers and ustadz from roughly 18 schools, including the Thamawittiya Foundation School in Yala, the Samphan Wittaya School, Jihad Wittaya School and Pattana Islam. Teachers at these schools have been arrested with weapons, bomb-making materials and bomb-making instructional videos. The current known BRN-C leadership includes Afghan-trained Masae Useng, Sapaeng Basoe, Abdullah Munir, Dulloh Waeman (Ustadz Loh), Abroseh Parehruepoh, Abdulkanin Kalupang, Isma-ae Toyalong, Arduenan Mama, Bororting Binbuerheng and Yusuf Rayalong (Ustadz Ismae-ae). The BRN-C is structured along strict cellular lines. It is estimated that 70 percent of the villages have a cell of between five and ten people. Many villages have two or more cells.
Gerakan Mujahideen Islami Pattani (GMIP)
The GMIP was founded in 1986 by Wae-Hama Wae-Yuso, but broke up by 1993 as a result of internal squabbling. In 1995, Nasori Saesaeng (Awae Kaelae), Jehku Mae Kuteh (Doromae Kuteh), Nasae Saning and a handful of other Afghan veterans consolidated power. For most of the 1990s, the GMIP was more of a criminal gang than a group of freedom fighters. It was thought to have run guns for other Muslim insurgent groups, in particular the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). The GMIP was engaged in kidnapping, extortion, contract killings and "enforcement." As one senior Thai Intelligence official said, "The Gerakan mujahideen had a poor record in the past. It was really a criminal gang. But they purged their leadership" (author interview, Bangkok, March 16, 2005). Thai authorities seemed to take the GMIP more seriously beginning in August 2003, when security forces gunned down two senior members in Pattani—its Afghan-trained operations chief Nasae Saning and Mahma Maeroh.
In January 2004, the government announced that it was searching for Doromae Kuteh, the head of the GMIP and "the mastermind of many evil attacks on the south." On January 26, 2004, Thai authorities announced that the Malaysian government had detained him under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Unconfirmed reports suggest that Malaysia deported Kuteh to Syria. Other Afghanistan-trained members of the GMIP include Nasori Saesaeng (Awae Keleh) and Wae Ali Copter Waeji. Karim Karubang (Doromae Lohmae) is another top leader.
Jemaah Islamiya (JI) approached the GMIP in 1999–2000 as part of the Rabitatul Mujahideen, but it is unknown how deep or strong a relationship was forged. Following the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the GMIP distributed leaflets in Yala calling for a jihad and support for Osama bin Laden. It has a stated goal of turning Pattani Raya into an Islamic state by 2008. The GMIP probably maintained a close relationship with the Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia (Malaysian Mujahideen Group, KMM), also founded by a veteran of the Afghan mujahideen, Zainon Ismail. Nik Adli Nik Aziz, another former leader of the KMM, trained with Nasori Saeseng in Afghanistan, and the two became close friends. The KMM was founded at approximately the same time as the "new" GMIP on October 12, 1995. Members of the KMM procured weapons and engaged in training in southern Thailand. In return, many of the Thai secessionists were able to seek sanctuary in parts of Malaysia where the KMM had influence or where government officials were sympathetic.
The GMIP tried to raise its profile in early 2002 by staging a number of raids on police and army outposts to steal weapons in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. Between 2002 and 2004, the group was responsible for the deaths of 40 police officers. Raids on armories have been the group's modus operandi for the past five years. Karim Karubang is believed to have been the leader of the January 4, 2004 raid that restarted the insurgency.
The GMIP is a rural-based organization and its operations reflect this. Thai officials have linked the GMIP to attacks on military convoys using roadside IEDs and on rural police and military outposts. Thai intelligence documents estimate that the GMIP has 40 well-trained cell leaders in the south.
Full PDF Version. Scroll down a short distance to find article: -
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/uploads/TM_004_017.pdf
I've overrun the post length: -
The Runda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK)
In late 2005, the Thai government began to acknowledge that a number of BRN-C militants had been trained in Indonesia, although it was not known by whom. Both Thai officials and the media began to discuss the group known as the Runda Kumpulan Kecil (Bangkok Post, November 24, 2005). The RKK, however, is not a completely independent group per se, but simply a name for BRN-C militants who received some training in Indonesia; mostly, it seems, while studying there. Police believe that the head of this cell is Rorhing Ahsong, also known as Ustaz Rorhing, and that it has some 500 members (Bangkok Post, June 17, 28).
The 17 suspects arrested in connection with the October 16, 2005, killing of a monk all claimed to be part of this group. Police asserted that they were trained in Bandung, Indonesia (Bangkok Post, November 28, 2005). The commander of Police Region 9 said that the group that decapitated an army commando in early January 2006 had also been trained by Islamic scholars in Indonesia. Likewise, three men suspected of participating in an ambush on a commando unit in Yala's Banang Sata district on January 2 said they had received training in guerrilla tactics from the RKK in Indonesia. In late July, police detained Udeeman Samoh, 21, and Sapee-aree Jehkor, 21, both of the RKK. Investigators said Udeeman is a very skilful bomb-maker while Sapee-aree was considered one of the cell's top members (Bangkok Post, July 29).
In December 2005, Thai army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin traveled to Indonesia where the two sides agreed to further cooperate in counter-terrorism. The Indonesians agreed to monitor links between the southern Thais and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
New PULO
Two members of PULO—Ar-rong Moo-reng and Hayi Abdul Rohman Bazo—founded New PULO in 1995. Bazo and his deputy, Hadji Mae Yala, were two of the four Thai Muslim leaders arrested by Malaysian authorities in 1998 and turned over to Thai authorities. After that, Saarli Taloh-Meyaw headed New PULO until his death in February 2000. The current leadership of New PULO is unclear; the organization may be under the control of Kamae Yusof. A handful of arrests in the past two years suggest that members have some involvement in the unrest. Many of New PULO's leaders and original members were trained in Libya and Syria and have considerable technical bomb-making skills. Two members of New PULO—Marudee Piya, who is the head of the group's Narathiwat operations, and Paosee Yi-ngor, a top demolitions expert—are on the Thai government's most wanted list.
Jemaah Salafi
Muhammad Haji Jaeming (Abdul Fatah) founded Jemaah Salafi in the late 1990s. He trained in the Sadda Camp in Afghanistan in 1989 and returned to southern Thailand, where he established the madrassa Hutae Tua in Narathiwat. Abdul Fatah represented Jemaah Salafi at JI's three Rabitatul Mujahideen meetings in Malaysia in 1999–2000. He served as a liaison and moneyman for Hambali and seems to be one of the few Thais who favors the pan-Southeast Asian agenda of JI. Yet, Jemaah Salafi has played a very limited role in the violence as Abdul Fatah is under intense scrutiny by Thai security forces and is in no position to get involved in the current unrest.
Full PDF Version. Scroll down a short distance to find article: -
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/uploads/TM_004_017.pdf
'Elusive' presumably means that they haven't given any ITV interviews of late, and are not about to adopt the standard local procedure of surrendering themselves after being requested politely to do so by a respectful policeman: -
Police blame two elusive insurgent leaders for Hat Yai attacks
Yala - Police investigators believe two elusive insurgent leaders were behind Hat Yai bombings on Saturday, a well-informed source said Monday.
The source from the investigative team said the two leaders were identified as Faisal Sama-ae, 23 and Kobe Indo, 34.
The source said the two were wanted on several cases of terrorist attacks in the deep South.
The Nation
Perhaps Faisal started planning this months ago: -
Bomb maker seen in Hat Yai
The Manager - June 30
An intelligence source reported that an expert in bomb making, named Faisal Hayisamae, had entered Hat Yai. The security unit has therefore tightened security measures in certain places in Songkhla province. Faisal was suspected of planting a bomb at Hat Yai International Airport in 2004.
The 'Hayi' bit probably indicates that he has completed the pilgramage to Mecca.
A different 'Nation' report yesterday came up with a different name, although I suppose we are talking aliases here: -
Authorities believe the Hat Yai bombings were carried out by a cluster of zealous operatives working under the leadership of Faisal Haji Isma-ae and Abdul Kamae Saleh.
The pair were linked to the Hat Yai Airport bombing in April last year, as well as the blitz in downtown Yala three months later. The latter incident featured a brief but deadly gunfight in the heart of Yala, as well as firebombs that torched a number of high-profile places, including a karaoke bar and a shopping complex.
Are these guys Indonesians, or have they just done some of their education there?.
The June report went on to say that Faisal's presence had prompted the security forces to check on Indonesians living in the south.
One report suggests that Police have discovered that some of the bombers rented a house on Charnivet Road, and that the owner came forward to report his suspicions.
BangkokPundit
19-09-06, 03:46 PM
Thanks for that!
An interesting dimension to the aftermath of these bombings is that some in the outside world seem to be considering the possibility that they are some kind of reaction to the Pope's controversial prognostications. I've heard this several times in the last two days - even locally. Not many have heard that this might be a commemoration of the establishment of a separatist organization. There doesn't seem to be much evidence that local insurgent groups react much to more global events.
I won't say it is impossible, but I honestly think it is extremely unlikely that the Pope's statement played a factor whatsoever. Now, if a church had been attacked then I might be persuaded.
The date of the bombings, September 16, coincides with the anniversary (http://cache.spurl.net/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bangkokpost.com%2FNews%2F11S ep2006_news01.php) of the founding of one the more militant insurgent groups, Gerakan Mujahideen Islamic Pattani (GMIP). Now, I don't see this as a coincident as special dates or anniversaries have played an important role so far in planning attacks.
BangkokPundit
19-09-06, 03:54 PM
Perhaps Faisal started planning this months ago: -
The 'Hayi' bit probably indicates that he has completed the pilgramage to Mecca.
A different 'Nation' report yesterday came up with a different name, although I suppose we are talking aliases here: -
Are these guys Indonesians, or have they just done some of their education there?.
The June report went on to say that Faisal's presence had prompted the security forces to check on Indonesians living in the south.
According to DeepSouthWatch (http://www.deepsouthwatch.org/index.php?l=content&id=25), (ไฟซอล หะยีสะมาแอ) Faisal Haji Sama-ae and (อินโด โกเบ) Indo Kobe are the two names who police are saying is responsible.
I understand they were Thais. One Indonesian was arrested with bomb-making equipment a couple of months ago so it is not surprising the concern about Indonesians or Thais who have studied in Indonesia..
Thanks again BP! That anniversary link gave me some useful info on a peace rally in Yala. If only that was all that was needed ...........
It was on dutch television, opening news at 20.00 h Journal.
:mad:
Hat Yai is an extremely popular town in the deep south of Thailand for Malaysian and Singaporean alike and her economy is dependent on their continuous patronage. What will becomes of her is anybody's guess and what will happen to all those traders ? The bombing at the airport last year drove most crossboarder tourists away and now with the latest bombings, the tourism industry of Hat Yai is actually in death throes itself...........what are the repercussions of a town that went bad ?
Now about the facts of terrorism itself: as long as the Malaysian side of the border is santuary to the terrorists concerned the Thai authority will face utmost difficulty. The border areas are extremely porous and the Malaysian authority is not helping at all due to the reason that the Malaysian army is actually a muslim army and they always looked the other way. Maybe its time that the Thai army put the feeling of Asean solidarity aside and pursue those terrorists across the border into Malaysia even at the risk of war with Malaysia.The Thai army should not have had one hand tied behind them in fighting these terrorists.
The economy of Hat-Yai doesn't rely entirely on sex tourism, which is the usual media stereotype. There are plenty of other economic activities going on in this province. Whereas the entire implications of the coup haven't fully sunk home yet, I note that the gloom of last weekend has begun to lift with the expulsion of Thaksin.
Personally, I think it's time to get rid of the 'sinful weekend' image. It's being dying for years any way. Malaysians and Singaporeans will probably continue to find it necessary to get away from their rather socially-repressive countries for a few days, but there's no harm in creating a much more rounded family entertainment image that will make the whole place less naughty for the moralizers back home. I think this city was already beginning to move in that direction. Doubtless the sex industry will remain in a slimmed down form. I'll be glad to see the partial demise of this industry. It hasn't done much for the city other than dumb things down for the last two decades.
Big C - where one of the less serious bombings occurred - was heaving with shoppers this afternoon. Central Group - a large shareholder - is worried about loss of revenue at Big C, Robinson's and Central Dept. Store (near another bombing). Neither the coup or the bombings seem to have had much effect on Big C. It had its usual huge complement of Muslim villagers in from the sticks, and Buddhist villagers enjoying some shopping after the annual temple visit to say farewell to the dead. Not much worry was obvious.
On a sad note, I believe the Canadian bomb victim is being cremated at a local temple this weekend.
A huge convoy with loads of soldiers, policemen and yellow royal pennants may indicate that the HRH the Crown Prince might have passed thru' Hat-Yai this afternoon.
That also accounts for the fact that Big C was heaving. Even more snappy dressers apparent than usual, it's true.
WRONG!
It was HRH Princess Chulabhorn awarding degrees at Songkhla Nakarin University.
On top of the bombings: -
Southern tour operators call on CDRM to explain situation to foreign media
Tour operators in southern border provinces Saturday complained that Malaysian media had played up the coup in Thailand so much that the number of Malaysian tourists to the region went down significantly.
Songchai Moonprasithichai, president of Songkhla Tour Guide Association, said the Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) should appoint someone to continually explain the situation to foreign media.
Sonchai said Malaysia media had caused Malaysian tourists to cancel their plans to visit Songkhla during the weekend.
Abdul Ayiawaesuemae, president of Narathiwat Tour Operator Association, said Malaysian media issued warning Friday night for Malaysian people not to travel to Thailand because of the coup.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30014466
TV news reported two arrests related to the Hat-Yai bombings late last night. This follows on from a statement a couple of days back that 5 students were likely to be arrested soon. These students were probably the same group who rented a house on Charnivet Road. There is evidence that bombs were assembled there.
Extract from yesterday's online 'Nation' report. The same report mentions the fact that the Crown Prince was in the deep south, and that four policemen were injured when a bomb went off behind a bus shelter along his intended route: -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/24/national/national_30014498.php
Meanwhile, Police have arrested two suspects over last week's bombings in Hat Yai and aim to arrest five more, Provincial Police Region 9 chief Lt General Adul Saengsingkaew said yesterday.
Six bombs exploded within less than an hour starting at about 9pm on September 16 in central Hat Yai, killing four and injuring more than 70 people.
Adul said the two arrested suspects were from the southernmost provinces but declined to disclose their names.
Investigators at the operations centre in Yala were now gathering evidence about five more suspects, he added.
He said he was confident police would be able to arrest all the suspects because the implementation of emergency law throughout the country allowed the investigating team to work more effectively to bring culprits to justice.
Meanwhile, a cremation ceremony for 30 year old Canadian teacher Jesse Lee Daniel - the first Westerner to die in the protracted deep South insurgency - was held yesterday at Wat Khok Samankhun. His students and colleagues were among the mourners.
Daniel lived with his aunt in Canada before landing a job teaching English at Phol Wittaya School in Hat Yai in April.
His relatives were today taking his ashes back to Canada.
Hat Yai rocked with explosions, at least seven killed
Hat Yai, Songkhla - Four coordinate bomb attacks were launched in this tourist southern town Sunday night, killing at least seven people.
The first explosion happened in front of the Thongsia Siang Tueng Foundation at about 9 pm, police said. Seven people were killed at the spot.
Then two other explosions occurred at Big C Department Store and a pub on Burapha Withi Road.
Shortly afterwards, another explosion occurred at Lotus Superstore and Lee Garden Hotel.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30035332
This report was released at 22:10, whereas the previous report was at 21:52:
Six explosions rock Hat Yai, nine injured
Hat Yai, Songkhla - Six coordinated bomb attacks were launched in this bustling tourist southern town Sunday night, injuring nine people.
Police said most of the bombs were hidden in garbage bins and were detonated nearly at the same time. But one bomb was hurled into JB Hat Yai Hotel.
Police were still checking whether there were attempts to launch a few more bomb attacks in the town.
One of the nine victims, who is a woman, was severely injured.
The first explosion happened in front of the Siang Tueng Foundation on Supasarn Sungsang Road at about 9 pm, Songkhla Police chief Pol Maj Gen Phaithoon Pattanasophon said.
Then two other explosions occurred in the toilet room of Nai Nang Restaurant on Thammanoon Withi Road and at a shrine in front of Big C Department Store shortly after the first explosion.
Police have yet to identify the rest of the locations.
Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, army chief and chairman of the Council for National Security, came out to downplay the attacks immediately.
He said he had ordered security agencies concerned, including the Internal Security Operations Command, to control the situation.
He said the bombs were only small ones and did not cause much damage.
"They were only small bombs in milk cans and were aimed to cause little damages," Sonthi said.
"Nothing to worry. Officials are in control now. They are analysing information."
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/27/headlines/headlines_30035333.php
See frontpage timeline:
http//:www.2bangkok.com:
Reports seem to be gradually consolidating at 6 explosions and 9 injured.
As of 11 PM:
Seven explosions rock Hat Yai, nine injured
Hat Yai, Songkhla - Seven coordinated bomb attacks were launched in this bustling tourist southern town Sunday night, injuring nine people.
Police said most of the bombs were hidden in garbage bins and a tree pot. They were detonated nearly at the same time. Only one bomb was hurled into JB Hat Yai Hotel.
Police were still checking whether there were attempts to launch a few more bomb attacks in the town.
One of the nine victims, who is a woman, was severely injured.
The bomb attacks happened nearly at the same time at 9 pm.
The seven locations of the explosions were:
1) A drug store near Kochon Restaurant
2) Nai Nung Pub on Thammanoonwithi Road
3) Hat Yai Garden Home Hotel's carpark
4) A shrine in front of Big C Hat Yai
5) An intersection near Thong Sia Siang Tueng Foundation
6) JB Hat Yai Hotel
7) A tree pot in from of Lotus Hat Yai.
Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, army chief and chairman of the Council for National Security, came out to downplay the attacks immediately.
He said he had ordered security agencies concerned, including the Internal Security Operations Command, to control the situation.
He said the bombs were only small ones and did not cause much damage.
"They were only small bombs in milk cans and were aimed to cause little damages," Sonthi said.
"Nothing to worry. Officials are in control now. They are analysing information."
The Nation
http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/27/headlines/headlines_30035333.php
TITV screen grab at 10:01 PM:
http://www.2bangkok.com/07/IMG_0007.jpg
This is a Chinese herbal pharmacy opposite the Siang Tung Foundation & Temple. Two bombs seem to have gone off in this vicinity.
A reader reports being at Carrefour Superstore at 6 PM and having seen several fire tenders at the back of the store in the region of the store's boiler room. Customers were entering the carpark as usual, and there seemed to be no additional security presence. From this the reader concluded at that time that some kind of equipment fire had taken place. In retrospect, the reader wonders whether something had already been found, or that there had been some kind of warning, suspicious event or tip-off.
The reader also reports having heard three almost simultaneous blasts at around 9 pm from the vicinity of Siang Tung, with a less distinct blast about 1 minute later. He also reported that the intensity of the blasts was roughly similar to the large thunderclap explosives often let off at Chinese temples such as Siang Tung. The reader also expressed the opinion that the temples should desist from these blasts in future, as they either alarm people at the wrong times or lull them into a false sense of security when actual bombings take place.
SOUTHERN STRIFE
Explosions rock Hat Yai
Nine hurt as 7 coordinated blasts hit superstores, hotels; Sonthi says no need for curfew, asks public to remain alert
Seven coordinated bomb attacks left Songkhla's popular tourist centre of Had Yai reeling last night. They injured 13 people, including one women whom police said was in a serious condition.
Police said it was apparent the attacks were aimed at creating chaos rather than killing people or causing extensive damage.
The first explosion happened in front of the Thoengsia Siang Tueng Foundation at about 9pm, witnesses said.
Most of the victims of the attacks came from this explosion. Police said the youngest victim was an 8-year-old boy.
Within 20 minutes another six blasts had gone off at a number of locations across the southern city. The targets were the Tesco Lotus and Big C super stores, Garden Home and JB hotels, Nai Nang restaurant and Phesat drug store.
Most of the bombs were placed in garbage bins. However the one at JB Hotel was thrown into the lobby.
The 13 people injured in the blasts were taken to three hospitals in the area - Ratyindee, Had Yai and Songkhlanakharin.
"Considering the circumstances of the blasts, it would appear that the bombers were intending to create a disturbance rather than deaths and damage," Army Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratklin said last night.
"All of the bombs were smallish ones and created no serious damages in most spots."
Sonthi said the bomb attacks were meant to merely disrupt the public and that "he knew that they were different from previous attacks". He did not explain.
Sonthi called on the Had Yai public to keep alert to future attacks. He said even though there were seven bombings no curfew was needed.
Sonthi said he would not try to analyse who were behind the bomb attacks.
Two suspects were caught shortly after the bomb attack at Big C super store, police said.
They would not release any details about the composition of the bombs or whether they were set off by mobile phone or other devices. But as a precaution, the authorities cut all mobile phone transmissions in Hat Yai town just in case there were further bombs.
Last night's bombings were the third serious attacks in Hat Yai since the insurgency broke out in the deep South in 2004. The last one was on September 15 when five people were killed and about 60 hurt in a series of six explosions at two shopping malls, hotels and other night spots.
Somchart Phimthanaphoon-phorn, president of the Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association, said last night's bomb attacks were not as serious as the two previous ones and should not cause serious damage to the local tourism industry. Fortunately, he said, the attacks occurred on a Sunday night when many weekend visitors had already left the town, he said.
Darm Sukhonsap, director of the communication division of Tesco Lotus, said the bomb exploded in front of Tesco Lotus's Hat Yai branch where close circuit cameras were monitored the area. The CCTV footage captured by the cameras could provide police with more information.
The first big bomb in Hat Yai occurred on April 3, 2005 at Hat Yai Airport, Carrefour Superstore and various night spots in town, killing two people and injuring 30.
The Nation
Hat Yai
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/28/headlines/headlines_30035378.php
http://www.2bangkok.com/07/hatyaibombings.shtml
Ten injured seems to be this morning's consistent report.
The local bush telegraph claims that there are witnesses that the bomb outside the Chinese herbal pharmacy was thrown into the parked motorcycles. The pharmacy is about 0.5 km away from JB Hotel, where it has been widely reported that the bomb was thrown.
The picture below is of another blast just across the road from the pharmacy. These two blasts seem to have been the scene of most casualties. The Siang Tung foundation has its own ambulance pickups and rescue squads, so some degree of assistance for the victims would have been quickly to hand. A fire station and Chinese foundation hospital with ambulances is also close by. This picture COULD indicate that this bomb went off under a motorcycle seat. Probably more to the point, it does not appear to have been strong enough to detonate the gas tank.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/28/p1news/images/30035377-01_thumb2.jpg
[Photo: The Nation] Motorcycles lie in bits and pieces outside the Thoengsia Siang Tueng Foundation, where most of last night’s victims were injured. Police who inspected the damage would not say how the bombs were made or detonated.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/280507_front.jpg
[Photo: Bangkok Post]
This picture isn't really distinct enough to either support or counteract the thrown bomb rumors.
Firefighters hose down motorcycles in front of the Ratri chemist shop on Suppasan Rangsan road in Hat Yai last night just to be safe after a bomb hidden in a parked motorcycle exploded in front of the shop. Six other spots in the southern city were also hit by bombs.
http://etna.mcot.net/newsimages/p29604.jpg
[Photo: TNA screengrab from Channel 9 footage this morning]
Outside the Pharmacy this morning. There is speculation that the JB Hotel blast was a handgrenade. Rumors claim the the bomb at this nearby location was also thrown.
It is not that uncommon for ordinary citizens to have possession of handgrenades. Security and stock control at military and police armories is notoriously lax (and I suppose many are of the opinion that a handgrenade will make your antisocial scofflaw neighbors sit up and take far more notice than any official complaint mechanism).
28 May 2007
Public Health Ministry to pay for medical costs of injuries from Hat Yai bombings
The Ministry of Public Health expresses readiness in providing treatment to casualties from bombings in Hat Yai District last night and will responsible for their medical costs.
Permanent Secretary of Public Health Md.Prat Boonyawongvirot (ปราชญ์ บุญวงศ์วิโรจน์) reveals that all 13 injuries have been delivered to hospitals in the province. Seven of them, including one in critical condition, are in Hat Yai Hospital while three in Ratyindee (ราษฎร์ยินดี) Hospital. The other three injuries have been transported to the Songkhla Nagarinda (สงขลานครินทร์), Mitraphab (มิตรภาพ), and Krungthep-Hat Yai (กรุงเทพ-หาดใหญ่) hospitals respectively.
The permanent secretary affirms the ministry has prepared sufficient physicians, nurses, medical equipments, and blood for the injuries. The ministry will also pay for the medical costs of them.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255005280006
The total of thirteen probably includes casualties with relatively minor injuries.
I think I would be inclined to partly dispute Bangkok Pundit's [http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/] suggestion that Malaysians were largely unaffected because most would have gone home by the time the explosions occur. Many Malaysians don't go home until the following day, as they are often older and more affluent individuals who can pick and choose their work commitments. Indeed, many practically have a second home and business interests here. I would suggest that these bombs occurred in areas not that well-frequented by Malaysians:
May 28, 2007 10:58 AM
No Malaysian Injured In Haadyai Bomb Explosions
BANGKOK, May 28 (Bernama) -- No Malaysian was injured in Sunday night's bomb attacks in Thailand's business and entertainment city of Haadyai that injured 13 people.
Police said all the injured were Thais, one of them a pregnant woman, and that the youngest victim was an eight-year-old boy.
Malaysia's consul in Songkhla, Sarifuddin Abdullah, when contacted by telephone today from Alor Star, confirmed that no Malaysian was among the injured.
The bombs had been placed in rubbish bins or motorcycles at Siang Tueng Foundation, Nai Nang Restaurant, in front of the Big C Department Store and JB Hotel.
It was the third attack in Haadyai since January 2004 when separatists relaunched their claim for independence for the three nearby provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani.
Police gather evidence to find bombers behind Hat Yai attacks
HAT YAI, May 28 (TNA) - Police sketches of at least one Hat Yai bombing suspect were released in this key southern commercial centre Monday morning, as the authorities are stepping up their investigation of Sunday night's coordinated bombings here.
Closed-circuit TV footage in several locations provided images of suspected bombers at seven locations which rocked the city at about 9 pm, wounding 13 persons and causing minor property damage.
Region 9 provincial police commissioner Pol. Lt-Gen. Jetthanakarn Napheethapat convened a meeting Monday morning on Sunday night's bombings.
Police investigators have reviewed footage from closed circuit television cameras and gathered other evidence to track the bombers.
Gen. Jetthanakarn said the attackers wanted to create chaos rather than kill people, noting that the types of bombs are different from explosives commonly used by insurgents in the three southern border provinces.
Police cordoned off the bombing sites in Songkhla province's prime commercial district to gather evidence and shrapnel, scattered around the area.
Initial investigation showed that all the bombs were triggered by timers.
The situation had returned to normal on Monday morning, but Hat Yai traffic is congested because police blocked some areas for investigation, and curiosity seekers travelled to see the bombing sites.
Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association president Somchart Pimthanapoonporn said he believed the attackers aimed at creating chaos rather than extensive damage, as it occurred on Sunday night when most Malaysian tourists had already left town.
Tourists who remained did not panic, Mr. Somchart said, because Hat Yai was twice earlier hit by bombs.
The incidents might affect tourism in the long term and agencies concerned must boost understanding among tourists, he added.
Thirteen people were wounded in coordinated bombs in seven locations. Two of all injured -- Suchart Saetang and Niwat Chuchart -- are in serious condition. Three others remain in hospital while eight were released.
The bombs exploded at about 9 pm at seven locations including a drug store, two restaurants, in front of Big C superstore and the Lotus superstore, outside the Garden Home Hotel, and the JB Hotel. (TNA)-E004
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29606
CNS to discuss Hat Yai bombings Monday afternoon
The Council for National Security will discuss the seven bomb explosions in tourist town of Hat Yai Monday afternoon, CNS deputy chairman ACM Chalit Pukphasuk said.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30035385
This single attack was far more devastating than the seven blasts in Hat-Yai last night. Saba Yoi District gets its fair share of the unrest, but it should be borne in mind that attacks of this scale are an almost daily occurance in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat Provinces:
Two killed, 11 injured in new Songkhla explosion
Songkhla - A bomb went off at a fresh market in Sabayoi district of this southern border province Monday, killing two and injuring 11 others.
Police said the explosion occurred at 3:45 pm in the main fresh market of Tambon Sabayoi Municipality in Sabayoi district.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30035404
Two still critical from Hat Yai blasts
Four victims of the bombs in Hat Yai on Sunday night had been allowed to go home, while nine othฌers remained in hospital, Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said Monday.
Two of the injured were in a critical condition: an elderly man still in a coma, and a 20 year old male with severely injuries to internal organs.
Mongkol, who visited the victims yesterday with senior officials, said six men, four women and three children were injured by the blasts. Four were allowed to go home, while nine others remained in four hospitals.
Kin Panrattanawadi, 8, Chang Saekwang, 24, and a man called Songtham Asawatangcharoen were treated at Ratyindee, Songkhlanakarin and Krungthep Hat Yai hospitals respectively. All were safe.
Two of six people treated at Hat Yai Hospital were critical. Suchat Saetang, 60, was in the intensive care unit after sustaining serious brain damage from bomb fragฌments, but doctors will not operฌate on him until his condition has stabilised.
The second critical patient, Niwat Chuchat, 20, underwent a fivehour surgery and was given 12 units of blood after bomb fragments pierced his liver, pancreas and intestines.
Mongkol said four others were safe and should be released shortly. They were Suree Phokharat, 46, Worawit Saengthavee, 14, Eujuang Saetang, 57, and Aksorn Senakhochawong, 30.
Mongkol said the ministry would pay for all the injured people's medical costs.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/28/headlines/headlines_30035417.php
This single attack was far more devastating than the seven blasts in Hat-Yai last night. Saba Yoi District gets its fair share of the unrest, but it should be borne in mind that attacks of this scale are an almost daily occurance in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat Provinces:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30035404
Two young girls are among victims of bomb attack in Songkhla
Two more people succumbed to death at a hospital on Tuesday, making the death toll of the bomb attack at a market in Songkhla's Sabayoi district to four. The victims included two and eight-year-old girls.
Some 26 others were wounded when the blast hit a crowded fresh market in a Sabayoi municipality at about 3.45pm. Ten of them were reported to be in serious condition. The market was crowded with people shopping for their dinner.
Rescue workers rushed the wounded to nearby hospital.
Among the victims were two-year-old Napaswan Chombodin and eight-year-old Amornthip Dangsrithet.
After the attack, police and soldiers sealed off people from the area out of fear that there would be second bomb hidden.
The explosion came just hours after seven bomb explosions hit Songkhla's Hat Yai district on Sunday night, injuring at least 13 people.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/28/headlines/headlines_30035407.php
Perhaps a case of keeping all the blame options open in a busy week for the anti-government varmints:
...........
Police chief, General Seripisut Temiyavej, and director-general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Sirichai Chote-rat, said it was too early to come to any conclusion on whether the Hat Yai bombings were definitely the work of militants in the deep South.
Security officials differ in their reading of the Hat Yai blasts. Commander of the Songkhla provincial police force, Maj Gen Paithoon Phattanasophon, said politics may have been behind the seven bombs, while the commissioner of the Ninth Police Region, Lt General Chetanakorn Napee-thapat, dismissed politics as the cause.
"The way they planted the bombs shows the attackers did not mean to kill people but merely wanted to create confusion. The bombs were mostly planted far from where people gathered," Paithoon said.
..........
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/29/headlines/headlines_30035428.php
Yes, the report below is correct in saying that these blasts created a lot of noise. But I have to say that I was initially unconvinced they were bombs because local Chinese temples persist in the lousy habit of letting off huge thunderclap (foundation-shaking) bangers on festivals and special days. Indeed, it is known that bombers have exploited the confusion caused by such big bang occasions in the past.
ANALYSIS
Bombs 'like those in Bangkok'
Blasts created a lot of noise but not much physical damage, police say
The latest spate of bombs in Hat Yai will certainly shove this southern commercial centre further towards a crisis and prolong its attempt to regain its status as a popular destination for Malaysian and other tourists.
This culturally rich town where Malay, Chinese and English languages are spoken, has never been the same since it was rocked by bombings in April 2005 and September last year.
But unlike previously, Thailand's top security officials have refrained from speculating that insurgents from the deep South were behind the attacks on Sunday night.
This differs greatly from before, when police were quick to point the finger at a group of zealous militants for a string of high profile attacks, including the April 2005 Hat Yai Airport bombing, and the blitz in Yala three months after.
Police named Faisal Haji Isma-ae and Abdul Kamae Saleh as the heads of this militant cell.
Because of the choice of targets and the scale of the damage, authorities said the 2006 Hat Yai attacks had crossed a new threshold. The six simultaneous bomb blasts killed four and injured about 70 people in crowded areas popular among local and foreign visitors. The implications went far beyond the Muslim-majority South, where the ongoing violence has claimed more than 2,200 lives since January 2004.
Some speculated that the 2006 "hit" was a sign of things to come: militants would target high-profile places to create the greatest possible psychological impact, now that they had struck in Hat Yai.
History has shown that successful attacks usually lead to bigger, more lethal dramas.
But the seven bombs last Sunday didn't seem to fall in that pattern.
However, this could well be a simple exercise in tactics.
Hat Yai streets were more or less emptied of Malaysian tourists, who were well on their way back home when the bombs went off. Moreover, none of the bombs had shrapnel and all appeared to have been small and quickly assembled.
Authorities said Sunday night's bombs were similar to those in Bangkok recently: lots of noise and political headaches, but not much physical damage.
With or without the insurgency in the far South, history has shown that Hat Yai, like many other border towns, has long been a battleground for influential figures fighting over control of illicit activities.
Given the fact that Hat Yai is not far from the boundaries of the troubled region - about 100km north of Pattani and about 50km east of Saba Yoi district, where another fatal bomb was detonated at a fresh market yesterday - it is understandably tempting to link any disturbances to the ongoing insurgency.
Coming up with a convincing answer as to how the mess in Hat Yai can be understood will be just as difficult in finding the culprits behind these attacks, who not only inflict death and injuries, but also cripple the local economy.
Don Pathan
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/29/national/national_30035434.php
TGunner
29-05-07, 01:04 AM
This is sickenning. I don't want that part of Thailand become like Iraq. How could these "Thai" Muslims be so evil? Man this is so sad.
Sunday's blasts in Hat Yai deal further blow to Thai tourism
The series of explosions in Hat Yai on Sunday has had an immediate effect on tourism. Travellers from Singapore and Malaysia have cancelled trips, while those from Australia and the Middle East are considering postponing.
There are calls for government assistance to boost local and foreign investor confidence and that of consumers.
State agencies and other organisations yesterday agreed the attacks would hit tourism but expect a limited overall economic affect.
Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase admitted confidence in the South has been low for some time, but the bombs aggravate the psychological effects.
Her deputy Atchana Waiquamdee said the bombs worsened fragile confidence and would dampen tourism in the region, which had started to recover at the beginning of the year.
She expected a similar impact on the industry to that felt after the 2005 Hat Yai International Airport bombing. Trade will remain sluggish, as usual, she said.
Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) president Apichart Sankay said hotels, restaurants and entertainment businesses in Hat Yai would see a slow down. Many of the centre's visitors are from Singapore and Malaysia and have already cancelled bookings weeks ahead. Moreover, many arrivals cut short visits and are returning home, he said.
Singapore and Malaysia are the region's biggest markets and often make weekend visits to enjoy entertainment.
According to Apichart, the number of local meetings and conferences in Hat Yai had gradually declined as a result of political uncertainty in the South.
"Hat Yai has been in its low season for months. Average hotel occupancy is below 40 per cent. These explosions will reduce that," Apichart said.
He added seasonal tourists - particularly from Australia and the Middle East - worry about the blasts. Many are taking a wait-and-see approach and others will cancel trips.
"So far, ATTA has not received any cancellations from overseas,'' Apichart said.
ATTA reported it was business as usual at tourist destinations such as Phuket, Samui and Krabi. Arrivals are increasing.
Hat Yai and Songkhla Hotels Association president Somchart Pimthanapoonporn said the explosions would damage tourism in the long term.
"It's just the next morning and the tourists are gone. I believe the business will be hit hard in the long term, too," Somchart asserted. Hotel occupancy is less than 20 per cent and the blasts could chop that by 5 per cent, he said.
Hat Yai hotels have increased security measures.
Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade chairman Pramon Sutivong noted the blasts could hamper economic growth in the South.
The chamber's chairman in charge of deep-South economic development Somkiat Anuras said Songkhla wanted its 12 districts not in the government's special economic zone to be included.
The chamber will ask the government to provide more soft loans to hotels and manufacturers.
The chamber wants to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Kosit Panpiemras to discuss South worries. The chamber and 107 associations will demand measures to boost consumer confidence "because the economy relies on sentiment".
Federation of Thai Industries chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the bombs would definitely affect tourism and other economic sectors.
"People in the area want government confidence boosters for life safety and asset security rather than tax incentives for investment," he said.
He suggested the government speeded installation of closed-circuit television cameras at Hat Yai and enforced regulations such as banning motorcycle pillion passengers.
Deputy Industry Minister Piyabutr Cholvijarn believed the blasts would not affect the overall investment picture.
Foreign investors usually adopt a long-term plan, he said. More worrying for them is labour skills, government policy and investment support.
In the first four months of this year, the Board of Investment received applications for tax breaks for Bt200 billion in projects. Machinery imports totalled Bt120 billion.
Piyabutr said throughout the year the combined value of all applications would reach Bt500 billion.
Suchat Sritama,
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/29/business/business_30035439.php
BangkokPundit
29-05-07, 01:45 AM
The total of thirteen probably includes casualties with relatively minor injuries.
I think I would be inclined to partly dispute Bangkok Pundit's [http://bangkokpundit.blogspot.com/] suggestion that Malaysians were largely unaffected because most would have gone home by the time the explosions occur. Many Malaysians don't go home until the following day, as they are often older and more affluent individuals who can pick and choose their work commitments. Indeed, many practically have a second home and business interests here. I would suggest that these bombs occurred in areas not that well-frequented by Malaysians:
GWR: I am happy to defer to your local knowledge. I was actually summarising a news report (from memory, TNA quoting some tourism bureaucrat) and not stating my personal opinion. I also note in an article you linked to today Don Pathan writes:
Hat Yai streets were more or less emptied of Malaysian tourists, who were well on their way back home when the bombs went off.
Given the time, many might have returned to their hotel/home or were inside entertainment venues/restaurants etc. Having visited Hat Yai a few times, the photos also seem to indicate that the attacks weren't in the prime tourist areas cf that with 16 Sep 2006 coordinated bombings.
And I'm not in the least bit surprised that 'they' come up with comments like this after the event:
28 May 2007
National police chief admits there has been intelligence indicating eminent incident in Hat Yai
The acting Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Gen. Seripisuth Temiyavej, admits that for more than a month, there has been intelligence pointing to an eminent incident of the type which occurred last night in Hat Yai.
Pol. Gen. Seripisuth spoke of last night's multiple-point bombings in Hat Yai district of Songkhla and said that he has told the Provincial Police Commissioner and the Songkhla Police Commander to rapidly explain to the public that the incident would not spread. He explained that this can be seen from the composition of the bombs, which were without high destructive potential. As for the evidence and witnesses, the national police chief said that it will be determined if were related with incidents in the 3 southern border provinces and those that occurred earlier in Bangkok. He also admitted that he had received intelligence reports of an incident of such nature prior to the occurring by more than a month.
Pol. Gen. Seripisuth also spoke of preparations for dealing with demonstrators on May 30, saying that he will inspect the site of the Constitutional Court by himself tomorrow.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255005280038&news_headline=National
Don't want to read any more of these stupid "They were only small bombs, clearly not intended to inflict much harm" comments.
Small bomb, big bomb, what difference does it make? Humans have been injured/maimed in the attacks. Can these words console the victims? Would these officials utter the same thoughtless drivel if their own relatives had been wounded? I for one don't want any more bombings to occur.
(I know they basically just want to downplay the importance of these incidents. But it does come across as very callous.)
Prime example:
He said the bombs were only small ones and did not cause much damage. "They were only small bombs in milk cans and were aimed to cause little damages," Sonthi said. "Nothing to worry. Officials are in control now. They are analysing information."Yeah, right, Sonthi. Tell that the family members of the victims. Your father/husband/son is in a coma, but nothing to worry. We're analysing the situation. Life goes on as normal in the Land of Smiles. Great!
By the way, milk cans??? Translation error? Idiom? Are there milk cans in Thailand, anyway?
They were those compact condensed milk cans that they use for sweetening at roadside tea & coffee stalls. Such stalls usually bag up the spent cans for recycling & reuse. They are sometimes used as cups by the stallholders, as you can take the 'cup' away with you. I think it is almost certain that these attacks were carried out by juvenile motorcyclists - the sort of people who frequent these stalls late at night.
With numerous comments that continue to trivialise the very real physical injuries. The local tourist and shopping industries have a kneejerk reaction of sweeping everything unsavory under the carpet. They never really learn anything constructive from the floods, for example:
Hat Yai blasts seen as political
New bomb in packed wet market kills four
POST REPORTERS
The Council for National Security (CNS) and the acting police chief were at odds with the Special Branch yesterday over who was behind Sunday night's bombings in Hat Yai. Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej and a CNS spokesman both refused to rule out a political motive, while the Special Branch was confident the seven explosions were linked to the southern insurgency.
Meanwhile, another bomb went off at a market in Saba Yoi district of the same province early yesterday, killing four people and wounding 26.
CNS spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said after a meeting of the council that the low power of Sunday night's blasts led to the suspicion that insurgents might not be the ones planting the bombs.
Unlike previous bombs planted by insurgents in the deep South, the explosions in Hat Yai seemed intended to stir up trouble, rather than targeting lives of people.
Col Sansern said while the explosions could have been set by insurgents, they could also be the work of people who were losing political power. But with only sketchy evidence, he refused to link the Hat Yai bombs to the New Year explosions in Bangkok.
Pol Gen Seripisuth said it was too soon to conclude insurgents were to blame. ''The explosive devices were different from those used in the far South,'' he said.
Seven explosions went off in Hat Yai about 9pm, injuring 13 people, two of them seriously. Four of the injured were released from hospitals yesterday.
Deputy police chief Pol Lt-Gen Adul Saengsingkaew was ordered to travel to the city, in Songkhla province, to try to shed light on the blasts. Pol Gen Seripisuth promised police would have the answers within days.
A security source in Hat Yai said evidence from the blast scenes showed the bombs could be the same type as went off in Bangkok on New Year's Eve.
Police Region 9 chief Lt-Gen Jettanakorn Napeepat sided with Pol Gen Seripisuth, saying the bombers' goal was only to cause irritation instead of targeting people.
Police artists were sketching pictures of suspects and they were waiting for images from security cameras, he said, but refused to give more detail.
Pol Lt-Gen Rapeepat Palawong, commander of the Special Branch, was firm in his belief southern insurgents had planted the bombs in Hat Yai.
He said a police intelligence report two days before the blasts had warned of two youngsters from the three southern provinces sneaking explosive devices into Songkhla.
''That's the only information we had and we couldn't dig deeper than that,'' he said.
The Sunday night blasts could be insurgent revenge for the arrest of a woman on Saturday, he said. The woman was suspected of involvement in the bombing in Hat Yai in September last year.
An explosion at crowded wet market in Saba Yoi district, Songkhla, about 3.30am yesterday killed four people and wounded 26. The dead included two children, one only four years old.
Chief of the district police Pol Col Thammasak Vasasiri suspected the homemade bomb was triggered by signals from a mobile phone on a parked motorcycle.
Songkhla Chamber of Commerce chairman Chavalit Kalumpaheti admitted the Hat Yai explosions would probably hurt the tourism industry, which was only slowly recovering from September's airport bombs. He called for urgent measures to ensure the safety of residents and tourists, before visitors left for good.
The city has 400 entertainment venues and almost 10,000 hotel rooms. It is a popular place for Malaysians and Singaporeans. Hotel occupancy has dropped by 54% over the past three years.
President of the Hat Yai and Songkhla Hotels Association Somchat Phimtahapoonporn said more hotels would close down if the situation in the city did not improve soon.
NSC chief says Hat Yai bombings not related to national politics
The National Security Council secretary-general Tuesday said the simultaneous bomb attacks in Hat Yai Sunday night had nothing to do with the political situation in Bangkok.
NSC secretary-general Prakij Prachonpajjanuek said the bombs were the works of insurgents in the three southern border provinces and had nothing to do with the electoral fraud cases against the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties.
Some bomb experts noted that the pattern of Hat Yai attacks was similar to the bombings in Bangkok on New Year's Even.
But Prakij said he believed the insurgents simply wanted to show off that they were still active.
The Nation
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30035483
Hat Yai blast victim dies
(BangkokPost.com) - The first victim of the coordinated bomb blasts in Hat Yai that left 13 people injured died Monday night.
Suchart Sae-tang, 60, who was injured in the blasts on Sunday night, died at the Hat Yai hospital after receiving critical wounds on the skull and brain.
..........
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=119063
FarangBha
29-05-07, 12:08 PM
you'd think if the big-wigs keep saying how small these bombs are, sooner or later someone down south might just flop out a big one?!
29 May 2007
CNS to implement Pitak 1 plan on May 30th
The Council for National Security (CNS) reports that authorities will be enforcing the Pitak 1 (พิทักษ์ 1) security plan to prevent violent incidents from occurring on May 30th, the day the Constitutional Court will rule the political parties' dissolution cased.
The CNS Spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, reports that the CNS has authorized the usage of the Pitak 1 security plan. It is a joint effort by four branches of the armed forces throughout the nation to ensure security on May 30th. The Pitak 1 plan will create understanding among local residents, monitoring for unrest, establish checkpoints to deter protesters, and control unrest situations which may arise.
Col. Sansern voices his confidence that the Pitak 1 plan is sufficient to maintain order, due to expectations that there will be less than 10,000 demonstrators on May 30th. He says the recent bombing attacks in Thailand are attempts at creating unrest. He assured the public that authorities will have the situation under control.
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255005290002
Probably nothing to it. I just heard two blasts of a similar magnitude to Sunday evening coming roughly from the direction of Tesco Lotus or PSU. Probably one of those bloody stupid temple thunderclaps again.
Probably nothing to it. I just heard two blasts of a similar magnitude to Sunday evening coming roughly from the direction of Tesco Lotus or PSU. Probably one of those bloody stupid temple thunderclaps again.
At about 13:45 at the Hi-Mansion Apartment building on Rajyindee Road. Apparently, there was an attempt to throw an explosive device into the foyer (perhaps across the khlong), and but it fell into the khlong and exploded, or something like that. I heard a smaller second bang which I suppose may have been some kind of echo resulting from dropping it into a concrete channel. It has been announced on a local radio station
The confusion over names may result from the fact that it started life as the Hi-Mansion Apartment building and became a hotel after a few years with a slight name change. I note my original report was timed at about 13:40:
Insurgents aim Hat Yai hotel; target missed
(BangkokPost.com) - Hat Yai becomes a target of insurgents' attack again on Tuesday afternoon when insurgents threw a bomb into a hotel there but it missed the target.
The bomb fell into a ditch, where it went off. There is no report of injuries.
Police said two teenage men on a motorcycle threw the bomb into High Season hotel, situated about 30 metres away from the municipality, shortly before 2 p.m. but they missed the target.
The bomb exploded when it went into the ditch in front of the hotel, causing loud explosion.
The hotel is not damaged from the blast.
This attack followed the Sunday bombing in Hat Yai where insurgents blasted the district with seven coordinated bombs that left a man killed and more than 10 injured.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=119066
The hotel has a fairly narrow frontage road, with a canal between it and the four-lane main road. Doubtless, they threw the bomb across the canal to avoid a difficult escape on a narrow road. I believe Malaysians and expat teachers frequent this establishment.
Lots of apparent inaccuracies in this report. They appear to have got the hotel name wrong for a start. (See earlier posts!) And was it a drain or a canal? Offhand, I would say it was a canal:
HAT YAI
Attack on hotel fails as toll rises
Officials reluctant to link bombings to South troubles
A man on a motorcycle hurled a home-made bomb at a hotel in Hat Yai yesterday but the device failed to cause any damage because it landed in a drain, police and eyewitnesses said.
No one was injured in the blast at the High End Hotel, but the fact that it came just a day after two similar incidents was a setback for security forces that have been on high alert since Sunday night when Hat Yai was hit by seven bomb attacks that injured 13 people.
One victim remained in critical condition after the Sunday attacks while another, Suchart Sae-tang, 60, passed away yesterday from head injuries.
On Monday evening, a bomb went off in a market in Songkhla's Sabai Yoi district killing four people and injuring 26.
Army spokesman Colonel Acara Tiproch blamed the Saba Yoi bombing on Muslim militants.
Saba Yoi's mayor, Cholada Niwaswutkij, called on the authorities to post more troops and Border Patrol Police to the district to boost security.
She said Monday's bombing was the worst incident of violence in the district for three years.
The call for more troops came just hours after a group of 30 armed youths went on a rampage in Saba Yoi shortly after midnight yesterday, firing automatic rifles and shotguns in the air for about 20 minutes and shouting that they had achieved "victory". No injuries were reported after the incident.
While officials said the Saba Yoi attack was part of the ongoing unrest in the Malay-speaking South, most officials have been reluctant to link the Hat Yai bombs to the ongoing insurgency in the region.
Lt-General Jetanakorn Napeetapat, a regional police chief, said he believed the bomb attacks in Hat Yai were "politically motivated".
The blasts come just ahead of the crucial court announcement in Bangkok affecting the future of Thailand's two main political parties.
..........
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/30/national/national_30035522.php
These conflicting newspaper reports are a real problem. Was the bomb thrown or placed? The fact that it 'missed' suggests it was lobbed. So was it something akin to hand grenade, where the bomb explodes a few second after it leaves the hand of the thrower. Or a more sophisticated timing device?
Third day of bombings rattles Hat Yai
SONGKHLA, May 29 (TNA) - A bomb exploded at a hotel in Hat Yai, marking three successive days of bombings in the southern tourist and trade centre, but neither injuries nor damage was reported.
A timer-activated bomb which exploded in a ditch in front of the High Season Hotel injured no one, but leaves the deeper feeling or uncertainty here. Police are inspecting footage of the hotel's closed circuit security cameras to identify the bomber.
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29637
Police detain six Hat Yai bombing suspects
SONGKHLA, May 31 (TNA) - Police detained six young men at a rented house in Hat Yai district of this southern province, believing them responsible for the bombings in the southern commercial and tourism crossroads last weekend.
The six suspects, all young Muslim men from the insurgency-troubled neighbouring provinces of Yala and Pattani, were detained Wednesday night at a rented house in Hat Yai district.
Police laboratory technicians found explosive powder traces on the hands and fingernails of two of the suspects, while all six detainees were taken to the police forward office in Yala province for further questioning.
Thursday morning, a police team led by Pol. Lt-Gen. Adul Saengsingkaew, assistant national police chief, searched for additional evidence at the house, finding electrical wire, traces of explosive powder, chemical substances and a clock timer.
Police were gathering more evidence from the house as they believed that the youths were probably involved in the bombing.
A series of seven coordinated bombs exploded in Hat Yai on Sunday night, killing one person (who dies in hospital on Tuesday) and wounding 12 others.
On Monday, four persons were killed and 26 persons wounded in a bombing at a market in Songkhla's Saba Yoi district.
Region 9 provincial police commissioner Pol. Lt-Gen. Jetthanakorn Napeethapat has said the investigation hopes to determine if the Saba Yoi market bombing is related to Sunday's Hat Yai bombings. (TNA)-E111
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=29665
Five detained in connection with latest Hat Yai bomb attacks
Hat Yai - Police arrested five young men from an apartment in Hat Yai on Thursday for questioning over the seven bombings last Sunday in Hat Yai that killed one and injured 12 others.
Deputy police chief Lt. General Adul Saengsingkoew, the officer who led the raid, said police discovered pieces of evidence that could be used for bomb making in the apartment in downtown Hat Yai.
The five suspects were taken to an army camp in Pattani under the Emergency Law that permits detention without trial for one month.
At least four of the detained are residents of Pattani's Sai Buri district.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/31/headlines/headlines_30035683.php
Thai TV Channel 7 has just reported that a bomb has been discovered at the front gate of Prince of Songkhla University in Songkhla Province's Hat-Yai District.
Police discover 22 small bombs around Hat Yai
Published on October 7, 2007
Police yesterday confiscated 22 small home-made bombs planted in downtown Songkhla and near the main gate of Prince of Songkhla University in Hat Yai, a police source said, suggesting that the operation might have been politically motivated.
Five bombs were placed near the university and 12 near a restaurant in Songkhla, while five were left in a public park in Hat Yai. No details were given.
The bombs were relatively small, without shrapnel or a fuse.
The perpetrator apparently intended to "create incidents" to discredit authorities, said the source.
Hat Yai has been the scene of several bombing incidents, but security officials suspect the devices they found yesterday were politically motivated and not related to the insurgency in the Malay-speaking provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Explosives used in the three southernmost provinces - frequently for roadside bombing attacks against police and passing military vehicles - are much larger and often loaded with shrapnel material.
..........
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/07/national/national_30051589.php
Busted: Hat Yai bomb plot
By Wichayant Boonchote and Waedao Harai
Security forces have foiled a suspected terrorist plot to wreak havoc in Hat Yai, the commercial capital of Songkhla province, recovering 17 bombs in the city yesterday before they could be detonated.
A bomb disposal unit discovered the 17 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden in two locations in the city.
A security source said five bombs were discovered near a fence of the Prince of Songkhla University on Poonakan road. Explosives experts said the detonation cords were missing and would have probably been attached only shortly before an attack.
Another 12 bombs were discovered outside a restaurant belonging to the navy in downtown Hat Yai.
All the bombs were home-made and authorities believe they were destined to be planted at various places in the commercial hub of Hat Yai.
The source said the low-pressure bombs were apparently intended to cause havoc rather than deaths. They were similar to a device that exploded near the army headquarters in Bangkok last week, which injured two bomb disposal officers.
On Sept 22, security forces came across five bombs at a public park in Hat Yai. That discovery, coupled with intelligence warnings of possible attacks in the once-bustling tourist city of Hat Yai, has spurred the authorities into beefing up security patrols in the area.
...........
May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=122407
OK! So the reported 22 bombs is because 17 bombs were found last night, while 5 were found in a park on September 22. On the grapevine, I'm hearing that gathered information led the police to expect a further 6 bombs last night, but those 6 haven't been found yet. I also hear that the "restaurant belonging to the navy" is not too surprisingly the navy-owned restaurant on Samila Beach in Songkhla City District. It's near the old boxing stadium. The report below seems to bear this out.
Another said that the bombs had been delivered from Nattawee or Narathiwat. Somewhat vague, huh!?
The target of these attacks was apparently the upcoming Vegetarian Festival, which attracts many weekend tourists from Malaysia.
Police discover 22 small bombs around Hat Yai
Published on October 7, 2007
Police yesterday confiscated 22 small home-made bombs planted in downtown Songkhla and near the main gate of Prince of Songkhla University in Hat Yai, a police source said, suggesting that the operation might have been politically motivated.
Five bombs were placed near the university and 12 near a restaurant in Songkhla, while five were left in a public park in Hat Yai. No details were given.
The bombs were relatively small, without shrapnel or a fuse.
The perpetrator apparently intended to "create incidents" to discredit authorities, said the source.
Hat Yai has been the scene of several bombing incidents, but security officials suspect the devices they found yesterday were politically motivated and not related to the insurgency in the Malay-speaking provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Explosives used in the three southernmost provinces - frequently for roadside bombing attacks against police and passing military vehicles - are much larger and often loaded with shrapnel material.
..........
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/07/national/national_30051589.php
This report seems to suggest we can completely dismiss reports that bombs were found at the navy restaurant at Songkhla City District's Samila Beach. It would appear bombs were found at a restaurant in downtown Hat-Yai, whose owner has some connection to the navy:
Hat Yai bombs unlikely related to insurgency: Army
BANGKOK, Oct 8 (TNA) – Several bombs found in the southern province of Songkhla are more likely related to current political issues rather than the southern insurgency, according to Royal Thai Army spokesman Col. Akara Thiproj.
Interviewed on a morning news programme on Modernine TV, (Channel 9) the army spokesman said regarding the discovery of several unexploded bombs in Hat Yai, the commercial district of Songkhla, that the bombs were non-functional.
Col. Akara reported that Pol. Col. Somphong Khonkaen, deputy commissioner of the Border Patrol Police, Region 4 said an investigation is underway to determine the origin of the bombs and what was the intention of being placed where they were located.
The bombs are unlike the bombs used in insurgent attacks in the southern border provinces, but rather are the same as the explosive devices used to stun and catch fish.
He said it might be possible that the bombs are linked to politics (as the election is imminent) but he can't conclude anything right now.
"The owner may have accidentally dropped them because they are packed and not ready to use", he added.
Speaking to a rumour that more bombs are undiscovered, Col. Akara said it is simply a rumour that is being spread, but which has no basis in fact. Hat Yai is a tourist destination and the area is closely monitored by officials and local people.
On Saturday, a bomb disposal unit found several home-made bombs hidden near a Prince of Songkhla University fence and in front of a restaurant in downtown of Hat Yai, but recovered them before they could be detonated.
http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=32079
..........
On the 22 bombs found in Hat Yai two days ago, the official said it is believed they had nothing to do with the separatist movement as the explosives were different from those normally used in the southern violence.
A police source in Hat Yai said the authorities found five bombs near the Prince of Songkhla University, and 12 and five others at two other locations respectively.
"We think it is more about creating chaos in the area. The bombs were hidden there and were not ready to be used yet," it said. (Agencies)
May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=122445
:confused: Is this report saying that there were NO bombs discovered, or just that the rumors were of 50 bombs when the actual total found was only 17? (23 if you include the 6 bombs reported 'missing', and 28 if you include 5 found in a park on September 22.):
08 October 2007
Police Spokesman dismisses rumor of bombs in Songkhla
Spokesman of the Royal Thai Police Pol.Lt.Gen.Pongsapat Pongcharoen (พงษพัฒน์ พงศ์เจริญ) dismisses rumors that more than 50 bombs were placed at many locations throughout Songkhla province.
The spokesman reports that Police Chief Pol.Gen.Seripisut Temiyavet (เสรีพิศุทธ์ เตมียาเวส) has instructed the commander of the provincial police region 9 and heads of the relevant provincial units to investigate the rumor and report him of the investigation’s results today.
The spokesman says ill-intentioned people might spread the rumor to create chaos. He affirms the police will quickly inform the general public of accurate information and calls on local people to monitor suspicious actions and objects and alert officials as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Pol.Gen.Seripisut is scheduled to report progress of the police’s investigation of the bombing incident near the army headquarters to the Council for National Security today.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter05
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/previewnews.php?news_id=255010080028
(BangkokPost.com) – Authorities captured another suspect believed to have been behind bombings in Songkhla province’s Thepha district on May 28 and in Hat Yai district.
The arrest was made following a raid on a home belonging to 26-year-old Suriya Sa-I, after soldiers acted on a tip-off provided by another suspect apprehended alongside five other on Wednesday.
Investigators now have seven people in custody. They will all be interrogated for their alleged involvement in an outdoor market bombing in Thepha district which killed 5 people and injured 26 as well as in another bombing in Hat Yai district.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=122742
At this time of political chair-changing, it is not too surprising that such reports (and even actions) should be current. The threat could easily be real, in spite of the highly-dubious notoriety of it source:
Possible bomb attack in Hat Yai : Interior Minister
Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said Monday that he has received intelligence reports that there could possibly be bomb attack in Songkhla's Hat Yai area.
He said upon learning the reports, he ordered authorities concerned to intensify the security in the area.
He declined to comment whether the attack could possibly happen in other areas.
"From now on, the violence in the southernmost province will become in the national agenda," Chalerm said.
He said he did not agree with setting up "special administration zone" in the areas.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30065075
vBulletin® v3.7.1, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.