Teacher Slain, Bomb Attacks In Pattani

[Flashermac]

A 50-year-old teacher was shot dead in a drive-by shooting but two bombs targeting soldiers failed in Pattani on Wednesday morning.

 

The teacher was attacked by two men on a motorcycle in Pattani’s Muang district, Pol Col Somporn Meesuk, chief of Muang Pattani police station, said.

 

He said Noppadon Sirimonthon, 50, was riding his motorcycle to the Tanyongluloh community school in Muang district when a gunman riding pillion on another motorcycle fired three bullets at him with a 9mm pistol.

 

Noppadon fell from his bike, the gunman returned and fired four more bullets at him. He died at the spot.

 

He was the 140th teacher killed in the deep South since the unrest started in 2004.

 

Police blamed separatist militants.

 

Militants also exploded a motorcycle bomb targeting soldiers in Pattani on Wednesday morning, but it had no effect because the troops were in a bullet-proofed vehicle, reports said.

 

The home-made bomb was concealed inside a motorcycle parked on the roadside on the 410 Yala-Pattani Road in front of the Ban Person mosque in Pattani’s Yarang district and exploded about 8.10am as an amoured pickup truck carrying six soldiers of No 21 Pattani special force was passing by.

 

The explosion damaged the vehicle but no soldiers were wounded.

 

Earlier, another bomb attack also failed at Ban Surao in Pattani’s Panare district.

 

About 7.50am, soldiers of the No 22 Pattanispecial force, patrolling on foot through the village, spotted a road sign had been sprayed over with coloured paint.

 

As they went to investigate the defaced sign an attempt was to detonate a home-made bomb placed beside the post, the report said. The device failed to go off.

 

More than 4,500 people have been kiilled and about 9,000 injured in the southern border provinces since separatist attacks started violence afresh in January 2004.

 

 

[The link icon has disappeared!]