黄力穎「手機遙控六連炸奪泰南四命」『東方早報』2006年９月18日
上海ではかなり大きく採り上げられている。
前々から感じていたが、日本では泰國南部の宗教紛争についての関心が低いのではないかと思う。
IHTに掲載されたAPの記事；
Series of bomb blasts kill 4 in southern Thailand
The Associated PressPublished: September 17, 2006
HAT YAI, Thailand A series of bomb blasts ripped through a key commercial district in restive southern Thailand, killing four people, including the first Westerner to die in the separatist insurgency and raising fears it could cripple the regional economy.
The six homemade bombs that exploded Saturday night hit a main street in Hat Yai, where scores of Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians spend their weekends. Their targets — department stores, hotel, a pub and massage parlor — were crowded with tourists when the bombs went off around 9:15 p.m. local time.
Four people were killed including a 29-year-old Canadian teacher, police Lt. Col. Prasit Paocsoo said.
Rodney Moore, a spokesman for Canada's Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ministry in Ottawa, confirmed a Canadian had died in the bombings but refused to provide any further information, citing the country's privacy laws.
Nine other foreigners were among the more than 60 injured, including two Malaysians, two Singaporeans, two Indians, two British nationals and an American, Hat Yai officials said.
Two bombs placed in a motorcycle and triggered by a timer exploded in front of Deep Wonder pub and car park at the Odean Shopping Mall and a third bomb exploded at the nearby New Cherry massage parlor. A fourth bomb exploded in a Big C department store, a fifth in Lee Gardens Plaza hotel and another at a restroom in the Diana Department Store.
The bombs weighed about 5 kilograms (11 pounds), police said.
Authorities quickly blamed separatist insurgents for the attacks. Since 2004, they have waged a bloody campaign that has left at least 1,700 dead. Most of those have been civilians.
Rotjaret Wacharaphan, the owner of the Deep Wonder pub where a bomb outside its entrance injured about a dozen patrons, feared the blasts "will ruin the economy."
"It happened right in the middle of Hat Yai," he added.
Nimit Chaichirathikul, president of the Tourism Association in Songkhla which includes Hat Yai, said the attacks would further damage an industry already reeling from last year's bombing at the Hat Yai International Airport which killed two people. A department store and a hotel in the province were also bombed.
"The numbers of tourists will decline," Nimit said. "Every time a bombs goes off, it will certainly affect tourism. I already am hearing that hotels are getting cancellations since the bombings."
On the streets of Hat Yai, workers at the damaged shops mopped up blood and swept away broken glass amid tight security. Most store owners acknowledged they saw little choice but to carry on, despite fears of further attacks and concerns that security remained lax.
"Everyone is scared about more bomb attacks. But we have to live with it," said Ladda Meechueawong, the owner of the New Cherry massage parlor where two masseuses were killed and eight others injured.
"I couldn't sleep last night." she said, adding that she held the hand of one employee who later died. "When I closed my eyes, I saw my employees crying for help. But I couldn't help them."
Tourists like 35-year-old Malaysian Zanariyah Mohammad Din said the bombing had shattered her confidence in Hat Yai, adding that she would not return soon.
"I really like coming here for shopping, eating and the massages," said Zanariyah, who had been shopping at the Odean Saturday. "I couldn't sleep last night. I was paranoid even when I heard a little sound. I just want to leave."
This past week, Thai army Commander Sonthi Boonyaratkalin ordered military personnel in the deep south to be on high alert from Saturday through Wednesday, after reports of possible attacks by the Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani to mark the anniversary of its founding.
Muslim insurgents demanding an independent state have become more brazen in their attacks and shown an ability to launch coordinated attacks that hit at the region's economy. Last month, they carried out a series of daylight bomb blasts at banks in Yala province, killing one, injuring nearly 30 and forcing the temporary closure of many financial institutions.
Last week, insurgents shot dead a village chief and a Malaysian friend accompanying him in the southern Thai province of Narathiwat. They have also hit schools and government offices during their two-year campaign.
Most of the violence has taken place in Muslim-dominated areas of the south, including the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. Citizens there have complained of rights abuses by soldiers and discrimination by the country's Buddhist majority.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/17/asia/AS_GEN_Thailand_Southern_Violence.php
