Bomb attack outside school injures two police officers in southern Thailand

A bomb attack outside a school injured two police officers in southern Thailand.

The policemen were patrolling Yala province as classes reopened when suspected terrorists detonated a roadside bomb on June 9.

The blast struck a patrol unit providing security for teachers and students outside Ban Poolai School.

A deafening explosion jolted the area and flipped the white Toyota Revo pickup onto its side, leaving it wrecked and debris strewn across the road.

Shrapnel and debris struck two officers inside the vehicle and a passer-by.

Teachers, residents and emergency responders rushed to help the wounded before they were taken to hospital for treatment.

Authorities cordoned off the area as an explosive ordnance team collected evidence.

Police Colonel Phongphan Suriyawong, local police superintendent, said the attack was an attempt to spark fear by striking vulnerable targets.

He said: 'This attack was clearly intended to create fear and instability in a vulnerable public area, particularly outside an educational institution at a time when large numbers of teachers and students were present. Such incidents have a serious psychological impact on public confidence and safety.

'In response, security agencies in Yala have ordered the highest level of security measures at all high-risk locations, especially along routes used by teachers and around schools.'

Islamic separatist terror attacks target the three southernmost provinces of Thailand - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - next to the border with Mulsim neighbors Malaysia. Thai state employees and infrastructure are often hit while attacks on civilians are rare.

Officials believe the conflict dates to a deal in 1909 that the British Empire struck to incorporate the Muslim region into the Siamese mainland.

The region's culture is more similar to Malaysia and dramatically different to Buddhist Thais causing decades of tension that lead to the emergence of separatist groups fighting for independence in the 1960s.

The struggle has continued ever since with more than 7,344 people killed and 13,641 injured between January 2004 and March 2022.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns against all but essential travel to the region while Canada's government warns its nationals to 'avoid all travel' to the three provinces.