Hat Yai (Thailand), Mar 31: Suspected Muslim insurgents staged the most deadly attack in years in Thailand's restive south, killing 11 people and wounding 110 with car bombs that targeted Saturday shoppers just before lunchtime.
 A first batch of explosives planted inside a parked pickup truck ripped through an area of restaurants and shops in a busy area of Yala city, a main commercial hub of Thailand's restive southern provinces, said district police chief Col. Kritsada Kaewchandee.
 About 20 minutes later, just as onlookers gathered at the blast site, a second car bomb exploded, causing the majority of casualties. "This is the worst attack in the past few years," said Col. Pramote Promin, deputy spokesman of a regional security agency. "The suspected insurgents were targeting people's lives. They (chose) a bustling commercial area, so they wanted to harm people."
 More than 5,000 people have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces, Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, since an insurgency flared in January 2004.
 Most attacks are small-scale bombings or drive-by shootings that target soldiers, police and symbols of authority, but suspected insurgents have also staged large attacks in commercial areas. In October, suspected militants staged coordinated attacks at more than 30 spots across Yala city, killing three people and injuring more than 50. A month earlier, a trio of bombs hidden in vehicles hit a busy section of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province, killing four people and leaving more than 60 wounded. AP

Lastupdate on : Sat, 31 Mar 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 31 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT
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