YALA — A buried bomb was detonated in Raman district of Yala province on Saturday morning before the army chief's delegation arrived.
No one was injured as the explosion took place after its intended targets, two army vehicles, had passed.
The bomb stuffed in a cooking gas cylinder exploded on a road in Ban Basa Bayoh village of Kalor sub-district at about 8am.
It was detonated as a group of 10 soldiers was patrolling in two pickup trucks to secure the district before the visit of Army chief Udomdej Sitabutr.
Army chief Udomdej Sitabutr speaks to reporters before his trip to the far South on Saturday.
Authorities estimated that the bomb weighed 50-80 kilogrammes. It had been placed in an underground drain and wired to a remote switch.
Gen Udomdej, also the deputy defence minister, visited the far South to follow up on local conditions and discuss policies to help restore peace in the southern border provinces.
At the Sirindhorn military camp in Yarang district of Pattani, he told his subordinates to operate more mobile checkpoints and step up searches for possible bomb-making locations. The goal is to prevent car bombings in urban areas and communities.
He also called for the speeding up of justice procedures as well as vocational training programmes, which could help encourage insurgents to defect.
To further promote improved conditions, Gen Udomdej said the government was providing local people in the far South with more educational opportunities and youth sports campaigns.
He also announced that southern soldiers from the 4th Army would start to take over security duties in the far South from soldiers of other regions from April onward.
Plans for restoring peace were more than 50% achieved in the region and losses from violent incidents were declining, Gen Udomdej added.
According to Deep South Watch, more than 6,300 people, the majority of them civilians, have been killed over the past 11 years since the insurgency in the three southernmost provinces flared up after being dormant for many years.