More Thai jihad. From The Straits Times, with thanks to Nicolei:
Tension in the border town of Sungai Golok in southern Thailand escalated dramatically following the discovery of another bomb here yesterday morning.
The bomb was found in a package at the Sungai Golok Customs Office, just metres from the Malaysian border, at 10am local time (11am Malaysian time) – peak hour at the gateway between the two countries, Bernama reported.
Thailand customs officials say the bomb was discovered in the luggage compartment of a four-wheel-drive vehicle belonging to the department.
According to Bernama, the Thai Army bomb disposal unit was called to detonate it. The border gate is only 2km from the town of Sungai Golok, in which Saturday’s bomb blast occurred. In that incident, 28 people, including 10 Malaysians, were injured.
The bombing is part of a wave of violence in which 60 people have been killed since January.
Already, the fear and tension since the explosion over the weekend have caused tourists to desert Sungei Golok. The fear also hit the Thai stock market yesterday, causing it to fall 3 per cent.
The bombs are likely to have a devastating impact on the economy of Sungei Golok, at least in the short term.
‘Certainly, the number of tourists will reduce and worries about safety and security will cause foreign tourists to cancel their trips to other spots along the border,’ the chief of the Pattani Tourism Promotion Association Anusart Suwanmongkol told journalists.