NARATHIWAT, 23 April 2013 4 bomb disposal soldiers in Narathiwat were killed and 6 others were injured, some critically, when an improvised bomb exploded while the bomb squad was examining it.
The explosives ordinance disposal team of Narathiwat Task Force 32 were prying apart a bomb that had been put inside a 25-kilogram cooking gas cylinder when a short-circuit caused the detonation. The bomb squad was examining the device, a gas cylinder bomb which had been planted in Bacho District, inside the base of Narathiwat Task Force 32 when it exploded. The bomb was placed at the site to kill soldiers who went to remove anti-peace talks banners that had been raised by insurgents.
In Chaloem sub-district, Ra-ngae district, insurgents tried to explode a bomb on a patrol of Rangers but mistimed the detonation, instead inflicting casualties on a pickup truck carrying locals that was driving by. 3 people in the truck were injured; 7-year-old and 9-year-old children were among the wounded.
Throughout the day (April 22), officials found banners put up by separatists at 45 spots in Narathiwat. In Yala, banners were found in 16 locations. In Pattani, they were found in 33 locations. Authorities suspect the banners, written in Malay, to be the work of the Pemuda branch of the separatists.
