Six injured in bomb attack near school in southern Thailand
Six officers were injured in a bomb attack near a school in southern Thailand.
The border police were patrolling near Ban Haeng School when the explosive detonated on a road on Friday morning.
Footage shows one motorcycle overturned and debris strewn on the pavement cutting through a forested area.
The explosion injured six border patrol officers, who mostly suffered from chest tightness and tinnitus.
One officer was reported to have severe chest tightness, while another sustained facial bleeding from shrapnel.
Other officers and rescuers assisted in transporting the injured to Thanto Hospital.
After the incident, officials cordoned off the route to ensure safety and to clear the way for Explosive Ordnance Disposal units and forensic officers to investigate the cause and collect evidence.
Authorities said security measures have been tightened in the area, which was placed under close surveillance.
Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.
Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland.
The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.
The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.
The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.
