Roadside bomb kills one in the South

>>NARATHIWAT: A paramilitary ranger was killed and five others wounded in a roadside bomb blast while they were on patrol in Bacho district on Friday, authorities said yesterday.

The explosion occurred on a local road at Yalutong village in tambon Khayomatee about 4pm on Friday when a military truck carrying rangers, attached to the Royal Thai Navy, passed by.

The blast wounded six rangers, one seriously. All were taken to Bacho Hospital, where Roengrit Temsam, chief of the patrol team, was later pronounced dead, said Col Kriattisak Neewong, spokesman of the Region 4 Forward Command of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc).

The five rangers injured were driver Natthawat Maneephan, who sustained shrapnel wounds to his face and body; Krisana Kaewmanee, Ditthawat Phudhom, Natthaphol Chanakriat and Watcharasak Chuhoi. The blast left a crater 40 centimetres deep and 100cm wide on the road and badly damaged the military truck. Initial investigation showed the bomb was homemade, had been planted under a tree by the road and detonated when the patrol truck passed the spot.

Fourth Army commander Lt Gen Pornsak Poonsawat sent rangers to the area and had checkpoints set up to block possible escape routes as officials sought to hunt down the assailants.

Thailand held its first meeting with the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani (BRN) insurgent group in January. For years BRN representatives have refused to take part in negotiations seeking to resolve the 16-yearold southern conflict that has claimed some 7,000 lives. At the time, the government’s chief negotiator expressed confidence the Kuala Lumpur meeting would set the stage for further talks to bring peace to the restive region.