Outrage and tears after Pattani ambush

By Bas Pattani for Khabar Southeast Asia in Sai Buri District, Pattani

2012-09-25

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Sumalee Yeesaman lies in a Pattani Hospital bed, recovering from painful abdominal wounds and injuries caused by an insurgent gun and bomb attack September 21st. But Yeesaman's most painful experience was watching helplessly as her son -- also injured in the explosion -- die of his wounds. [Bas Pattani/Khabar]

Nurse Kanyaporn Jindarat, 25, rushed to help a relative injured in the bomb attack. "I work in local government medical clinic and have treated many victims of unrest in the past," Kanyaporn said.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) feeds captured images of five of the six suspected attackers running through the streets of the Taluban Municipality shopping district, guns drawn after opening fire on a gold store. The men fled in a Toyota Vigo truck and left behind a Chevrolet pickup with a hidden bomb that was detonated after police responded to the gunfire.

Another CCTV image shows two of the suspected insurgents fleeing in the bed of a Toyota Vigo pickup. The group left behind a Chevrolet pickup, which carried a 50kg bomb that killed and wounded residents as well as security officials.

The aftermath of the explosion in the Taluban Municipality shopping district, caused by a 50kg bomb detonated by suspected insurgents. The bombers targeted afternoon shoppers and police personnel in the crowded district. Shrapnel ejected from the bomb caused gruesome injuries to responding security officials and bystanders.

A man stares at a burned-out storefront damaged by the deadly attack. Investigators believe the bombing was carried out by three insurgent groups -- based in Panare and Sai Buri in Pattani and Bajoh District in Narathiwat province. The apparent goal was to prove they remain active despite a preliminary meeting between the Army Region 4 Commander and other insurgent groups to discuss negotiations and a cessation of violence.

Sai Buri Police Deputy Superintendent Pattanapong Thongduang is visited by Army Region 4 Deputy Commander Major General Suphat Wichitkan in a Pattani Hospital. Suphat came to offer support for victims being treated for their bombing injuries. Pattanapong, one of 13 officers from Sai Buri Police Station injured in the ambush bombing while responding to the gun attack, is being treated for severe shrapnel wounds and internal injuries.