Thai troops wounded in attacks
Two bombings in as many days in Thai south leave more than 20 soldiers injured.
| Thailand’s troubled south |
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Muslims, who make up more than 90 per cent of the 2 million people in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla complain of being treated as second-class citizens in mainly Buddhist Thailand Area was semi-autonomous Islamic Malay sultanate until annexed by Thailand in 1902 Malay-Muslims complain assimilation policies have restricted their customs Several violent uprisings have been put down by army over the century Latest uprising flared in 2004 after three years of tough policies on the south by Thaksin Shinawatra, the then premier Despite martial law imposed in 2004, near daily attacks blamed on Muslim fighters have left about 2,600 people dead and many injured, including Muslims One of deadliest incidents happened at Krue Se mosque in Pattani in April 2004, where an army raid left 32 men dead. |
The soldiers were returning from a two-month break to resume duty in southern Thailand when the explosion destroyed the front end of their bus wounding the soldiers, four seriously.