Narathiwat Bomb: A homemade bomb exploded in Narathiwat’s Waeng district early on Thursday after rangers removed banners hanging on a road to demand independence for so-called Patani state.
The bomb, in a cooking gas cylinder, exploded at about 3am when a ranger pulled down a banner. A rope was tied to the bomb.
No one was injured as the bomb was buried behind a small earth embankment and the explosion was directed away from the rangers.
Nine banners were found on the Sungai Kolok-Bukehta bypass in Ban Tor-or village in Tambon Kayukla.
One banner said “Patani Malays want independence – Patani Merdeka” and another proclaimed “Independent Patani”.
The ethnic-Malay insurgents say Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla belong to an earlier Malay state called Patani.
