NARATHIWAT, Thailand (Bernama): At least seven police officers were injured in a bombing and gunfight incident in Tak Bai, Narathiwat, Southern Thailand, early Saturday morning.
Acting Tak Bai Police Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Pol. Jarukit Sridech, said that a homemade bomb exploded in front of a gold shop at around 1:30 a.m. (local time).
"A homemade bomb weighing 20 kilograms was detonated, causing severe damage to the gold shop."
"Immediately after that, the Tak Bai police security post, located approximately 50 meters from the scene, was also attacked by armed men. The exchange of gunfire continued for nearly 30 minutes.
"Seven police officers on duty at the security post were injured. Police also found hundreds of bullet casings at the scene," he told reporters at the scene today.
Furthermore, Jarukit stated that another bomb explosion was reported, approximately 200 meters from the location of the first incident, which resulted in 10 electric poles falling - blocking traffic and police assistance.
"The motive for the incident is still under investigation," he said.
The bomb explosion and gunfight incident early this morning occurred just a few days before the 19th anniversary of the Tak Bai incident, in which 85 protest participants who were detained were found dead when they were stacked on top of each other in military trucks.
This tragedy occurred on October 25, 2004, when protesters turned violent after the military was accused of releasing tear gas and firing water cannons at over 1,000 protesters outside the Tak Bai Police Station.
The protest was against the detention of six men who were accused of robbing government-owned firearms and supplying them to insurgents.
The detained protesters were transported by trucks to a military camp in Pattani. When the trucks arrived at the camp several hours later, the protesters were discovered to have died due to suffocation and respiratory distress. - Bernama
