Bomb kills 1, wounds 23 in Thai Muslim south

Yala (Thailand), June 9: A bomb exploded at a tea shop packedwith Buddhist customers in Thailand's Muslim-majority south today,killing one woman and wounding 23, police said.

The remote-controlled 3-kg (6.6 pound) bomb was placed in a publicphone booth near the shop popular with security forces and civilservants in the city of Yala, one of the three provinces hit by dailyviolence, police said.

Leaflets were left at the site saying the ''Independent Warriorsfor Patani Darusalam'' were responsible for the blast, and that it wasmeant to retaliate for attacks by security forces on innocent Muslims.

''As long as security troops hurt our innocent people, we will do the same to yours,'' said the leaflet seen by Reuters.

Muslim militants, who have conducted a separatist insurgency inwhich more than 2,300 people were killed in the past 41 months, haverarely claimed responsibiity in their attacks.

Since taking office in October, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanonthas fought off pressure from the Buddhist majority to take strongeraction against the insurgents, saying he remains committed to apeaceful resolution.

He has apologised for the harsh policies of his predecessor,Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup last September, and promisedrestraint in dealing with the violence.

But he has had no more success than Thaksin in dampening the insurgency in a region where most people speak a Malay dialect.

The daily killings and bombings by secretive militants haveincreased steadily despite the presence of 30,000 troops and police.

Reuters>