Arson and explosions hit deep south
Violence and chaos hit deep southern provinces Friday, with a corporal killed in Yala and arson attacks in Yala, Pattani and Songkhla provinces.
The victim was Corporal Nuttapong Longkaew, chief of a ranger unit. He and his colleague were patrolling on foot in Yala’s Yaha district when a roadside bomb exploded. The blast killed him instantly and deafened seven others soldiers.
Insurgents also launched arson attacks at a total of 13 spots in five districts in Yala, Pattani and Songkhla around 3am on Friday morning.
Most of the targeted sites were factories handling wood, rubber, plastic, cement and processed woods. Yala’s Muang district was the hardest hit, with six sites were attacked. Three spots including a minimart and a company, in Pattani’s Kok Phoe district were set on fire while two furniture shops in Sonkhla’s Tepa district were gutted.
Thitikorn Wiriyasathien, owner of rubber company, Yang Paktai, in Yala’s Muang district, estimated that the damage was around Bt100 million.
