Jihadists kill 3, wound 21 with remote-controlled bombs in Thailand

Who did it? Reuters says in the first paragraph that "bombs" killed three and wounded 21 in "Thailand's troubled Muslim far south." So far we have no idea who is doing the bombing and who are the victims. The second paragraph tells us that a bomb was hidden in the car, but with no hint as to by whom.

In paragraph 5 we learn that in the three southern provinces, "2,500 people have been killed in gun and bomb attacks since a separatist insurgency erupted in January 2004." It erupted, like a volcano, but again there is no hint as to who the separatist insurgents are, or who killed the overwhelming majority of those 2,500 people. In paragraph 6, we learn how the "suspected militants" set off another bomb, but once again with no hint about who these militants are.

Same thing in paragraph 7: unidentified "insurgents" ambush the security forces. In paragraph 8, it's simply a "bomb," a random, accidental object, that wounded four people. But also in that paragraph we learn that this is all taking place in "the three far south provinces which formed an independent sultanate until annexed by Thailand a century ago." Reuters does not mention, of course, that the Malay Sultanate was making war against the Siamese during the war between Siam and Burma, and Thailand conquered it in that context -- making it Thai by a right of conquest that has been universally recognized throughout human history -- except, of course, when it comes to Israel and to any Muslim land that is conquered by non-Muslims.

Paragraph 9 is no help: a "suspected militant" is again responsible, but unidentified. Only in paragraph 10 do we learn that "Buddhist monks" are among the chief targets of the still-unidentified "militants" -- which should lead the informed reader to identify them as Islamic jihadists and Sharia supremacists. But they come to that identification with no help from Reuters.

"Bombs kill three, wound 21 in Thai Muslim south," from Reuters (thanks to Twostellas):

PATTANI, Thailand, March 16 (Reuters) - Bombs killed three men and wounded 21 people in three separate attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim far south, police said on Sunday.

A 20-kg (44-lb) remote-controlled bomb, hidden in a car near the entrance of a hotel in the city of Pattani, killed one man instantly and wounded 13 others on Saturday, police said.

Three were injured seriously in the blast which destroyed more than a dozen cars and damaged the front of the CS Pattani hotel where officials visiting from Bangkok often stay.

One of them died on Sunday, police said.

Pattani is one of three southern provinces where more than 2,500 people have been killed in gun and bomb attacks since a separatist insurgency erupted in January 2004.

Hours after the hotel bombing, suspected militants used a mobile phone to detonate a 5-kg (11-lb) bomb at a Pattani school, killing a fire-fighter and wounding five others. The fire-fighters were trying to put out a fire at the school when the bomb went off.

As security forces rushed the wounded to hospital, they were ambushed by insurgents. One soldier was wounded seriously, police said.

On Sunday, a bomb wounded four people at a music CD shop in the city of Narathiwat, another of the three far south provinces which formed an independent sultanate until annexed by Thailand a century ago, police said.

The bomb was believed to be hidden in the shop by a suspected militant pretending to be a customer, they said.

Security personnel along with Buddhist monks and government school teachers are prime targets for militants in the region....

Posted by Robert at March 17, 2008 9:27 AM
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