Series of bomb blasts in Thailand wounds 73

A CAR bomb blast at a fruit market and another explosion minutes later at a nearby teashop wounded 73 people in Muslim southern Thailand yesterday, where in a five-year rebellion 3,200 people have died, police said.

The first explosion appeared to target an outdoor meeting of village chiefs at a district office in Narathiwat, one of the three southernmost provinces roiled by the violence, police said.

A second device hidden in a motorcycle exploded two minutes later at a teashop 100 metres away, police said.

Five of the victims had shrapnel wounds to the head or torso, and two needed surgery, a state hospital official said.

Forty were released after treatment for minor injuries, the official added.

Narathiwat and the neighbouring provinces of Pattani and Yala, abutting Malaysia, were a Muslim sultanate until annexed by predominantly Bangkok a century ago. About 80% of people there remain Muslim.

The violence has ranged from drive-by shootings and bombings, to beheadings and appears to target Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state.

No group has ever claimed responsibility.