Bomb and gun attacks kill seven in Thai south

Seven people were killed and 16 wounded in a string of attacks across Thailand's far south that included two roadside bombs detonating within minutes of each other on Saturday, police said. -- PHOTO: AFP

YALA (Thailand) - SEVEN people were killed and 16 wounded in a string of attacks across Thailand's far south that included two roadside bombs detonating within minutes of each other on Saturday, police said.

The first blast hit a military patrol vehicle on a village road in Yala, one of three southern provinces close to the border with Malaysia that have suffered a seven-year insurgency.

'Three soldiers died instantly and two were seriously injured,' a local police officer said.

A second device, buried in the car park of a football field in Pattani province, detonated about five minutes later, killing three police officers and wounding 14 others.

'The officers had just arrived there for a football match with local villagers and the bomb exploded as they parked their car,' police said.

In a separate attack, four gunmen riding motorbikes shot dead a 45-year-old Muslim man as he drove his car in Narathiwat province on Saturday afternoon. -- AFP