Army orders assistance to Narathiwat bomb victims

PATTANI, February 21 (TNA) – Fourth Army Region Commander Lieutenant General Prakan Chonlayut, who is responsible for security in the Thai South, has ordered officials to provide assistance to victims of a car bomb attack in Narathiwat province on Friday, said Colonel Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Fourth Region Forward Command on Saturday. He said a total of 17 persons were wounded in the car bomb attack in Mueang district, noting that eight of the wounded persons remained at a hospital in Narathiwat by early Saturday, while nine others had been allowed to return home. The explosion also damaged a total of 17 houses, he said. Colonel Pramote Prom-in said the fourth army region commander also ordered officials to arrest those who were responsible for the attack. The spokesperson said authorities found that three bombs were planted and they were rigged to explode at the same time. Fortunately, authorities were able to detonate two of them, preventing heavier losses and damages. Colonel Pramote said the bomb was hidden in a pickup truck stolen from Songkhla’s Thepha district and was also used in a shooting incident in a nearby district of Pattani on September 11. Denouncing the attack, he said it was aimed to damage the local economy and tarnish credibility of the government and disrupt its attempt to resolve the issue of violence in a peaceful manner. (TNA)