Bombs wound 14 as Thai, Malaysian PMs visit Thai south

NARATHIWAT, Thailand (Reuters) - Five bombs wounded 14 security forces in Thailand's restive Muslim south on Wednesday as the Thai and Malaysian prime ministers visited the region in a bid to end the violence.

Most of the wounded, four soldiers, two navy officers, five policemen and three local defence volunteers, were removing banners bearing secessionist slogans when the bombs exploded.

The bombs were detonated in Yala province and in neighbouring Narathiwat, where Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak were visiting to highlight the government's efforts to win hearts and minds.

Separatist tension has long simmered in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat since the rubber-rich region, once an independent Malay-Muslim sultanate called Patani, was annexed by Buddhist Thailand a century ago.

Police said the banners were traps intended to lure the security forces to the bomb sites. None exploded anywhere near the prime ministers' convoy.

"We will die together to get back the Patani state," some banners proclaimed in the local Jawi script and in Malaysian Bahasa. Others read: "Patani state is part of Malaysia."

Najib, who favours some form of autonomy for the predominantly ethnic Malay region, pledged his backing for the Thai government on Tuesday and urged local people to support efforts to restore peace.

At a joint news conference in Bangkok, Abhisit ruled out dialogue with the shadowy rebels but said a political solution was urgently required.

Critics say his economic stimulus measures and small-scale development plans will do nothing to curb the unrest.

More than 3,700 people have died in six years of violence in the deep south but no credible group has claimed responsibility. Most attacks come in the form of drive-by shootings and bombings, with the occasional beheading.

The Thai and Malaysian delegation decided to go ahead with the visit despite bombings and shootings on the eve of the trip that killed eight people and injured about 20.

Abhisit and Najib visited an Islamic school and attended the opening of a new bridge linking the two countries. They were scheduled to leave the region later on Wednesday.

They pledged to work together to tackle the violence by sharing intelligence, improving the local economy and tracking movements of suspected insurgents.

(Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould and Nick Macfie)

WhatsAppFacebookTwitterLinkedinBeloudBluesky