YALA, 26 May 2014 – Crowds flock to the annual Red Cross fair and City Pillar Shrine celebration in the southern province of Yala amid heavy security.
Over 1,000 army personnel, rangers and police officers patrol the fair to ensure safety of those attending the event. Vehicles entering the area have to pass security screening, and additional cctv cameras have been set up to monitor the situation.
Residents in Yala and neighbouring provinces continued to head to the fair which will feature concerts and other local performances.
The event is held after insurgents launched simultaneous bomb attacks on 15 locations in Pattani over the weekend. Yala itself endured two days of bombing attacks in April where 61 people were affected or injured.
