Bomb attack hits Thai market
Blast comes as mourners protest at funeral for Buddhist woman shot on Wendnesday.
Following Wednesday’s shooting some 200 mourners marched the charred body of 25-year-old Patcharaporn Bunmat through Yala town demanding a meeting with government leaders to discuss bolstering security in a region.
The woman’s father told protesters he wanted officials to do more to “ensure the security of Buddhists.”
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| Mourners demanded better protection from the government [AFP] |
The shooting and subsequent protest came as General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the head of the Thai junta, visited the province to meet local leaders.
Since a September coup, Thailand’s military-installed government has launched a raft of peace measures, but attacks have escalated in the past six months becoming an almost daily occurrence.
The attacks are blamed on a shadowy group of Muslim fighters who complain that Muslims in southern Thailand are discriminated against in jobs and education by Thailand’s Buddhist-dominated government.
The government’s failure to quell the violence – increasingly involving innocent bystanders – has raised fears that Buddhist civilians may start taking the law into their own hands.
Mainly Buddhist Thailand is on high alert against possible further attacks during the five-day Buddhist New Year holiday, which begins on Friday.