Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra canceled a trip to Europe and met with top security officials yesterday after a bomb outside a bar in southern Thailand injured 28 people, including 10 Malaysian tourists, officials said.
The bomb exploded Saturday night in a tourist district in Sungai Kolok, a town on the border with Malaysia.
Thaksin summoned the defense minister, army commander and others to his Bangkok residence to discuss the latest incident in the violence-plagued south.
He canceled a planned trade promotion trip to Germany and Hungary which was set to begin last night.
Thai officials have blamed Muslim separatists for the violence, although no one has claimed responsibility.
Police and medical officials said 28 people were taken to a hospital with injuries, and at least three were in serious condition. Seven Malaysians were still hospitalized yesterday and three had been discharged.
Deputy Health Minister Sirikorn Maneerin visited the hospital yesterday to express the government's sympathy to the victims.
A wave of violence has swept Thailand's deep south since Jan. 4, when unknown attackers raided a military armory, killing four soldiers and stealing hundreds of assault weapons while confederates set fire to 21 nearby state schools.
Last week, authorities issued arrest warrants for nine people allegedly linked to the armory raid, and five have been taken into custody.
Since the Jan. 4 raid, more than 50 people, most security officials, have been killed by gunmen.
Police said Saturday's bomb, planted on a motorcycle, was made of Power Gel, a commercial plastic explosive commonly found at mining and construction sites. No one took responsibility for the attack.
Last week, at least one person was injured when a time bomb exploded near the city hall in Narathiwat town, the provincial capital, as Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula was meeting with police officials.
Narathiwat and nearby Yala and Pattani are the only provinces with Muslim majorities in predominantly Buddhist Thailand.
Investigators were exploring two possible motives for Saturday's attack -- business conflicts and Muslim separatism -- according to the ITV television network.
Police Major General Tani Twidsi told reporters it was the fourth time in recent years a bomb had been planted in Sungai Kolok, but the first to explode.
In November 2001, police defused a powerful car bomb near the location of Saturday's bomb. In June 2002, an 8kg time bomb packed with shrapnel was found at the rear of a cafe-restaurant.
Thailand's south has long been plagued by violence from armed gangs, some of whom claim to be Muslim separatists while others engage purely in criminal extortion.
Thai Muslims have long complained of discrimination in jobs and education by the central government. They also say their culture and language are being suppressed.
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