Police: 8 killed in Thai van attack

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Police: 8 killed in Thai van attack - CNN.com

Police: 8 killed in Thai van attack POSTED: 6:53 a.m. EDT, March 14, 2007 Story Highlights• Suspected Muslim insurgents bomb commuter van in Thailand's restive south • Eight passengers shot dead. Driver wounded • Attack comes amid heavy security for revolutionary anniversary Adjust font size: BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Suspected Muslim insurgents bombed a commuter van in Thailand's restive south on Wednesday and then shot dead eight passengers, police said. The driver of the van was wounded in the attack, which took place about 9:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT), said police Col. Apirak Sangkao, chief of police in the Yaha district of Yala province, where the violence occurred. The van was shuttling people from the Betong district of Yala province to Hat Yai, the south's major city, in the neighboring province of Songkhla. Suspected insurgents hurled a bomb at the van as it slowed into a curve in the road and then shot and wounded the driver, said police duty officer Lt. Kitti Mankhong. The attackers then opened the side door of the van and shot each of the passengers with assault rifles, he said. Police and soldiers were searching for the attackers, he said. The attack came as authorities beefed up security for the Tuesday anniversary of the founding of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional, or National Revolution Front separatist group. Police had warned that insurgents might try to mark the anniversary with violence. The BRN was formed in 1963, partly in opposition to the Thai government's policy at the time of forcing southern Muslims to assimilate into predominantly Buddhist Thai society. The government later changed the policy. Military officials believed that BRN-Coordinate, a BRN offshoot, has played a vital role in the current violence. Drive-by shootings and bombings occur almost daily in Thailand's three Muslim-majority provinces -- Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani -- where an Islamic insurgency that flared up in January 2004 has killed more than 2,000 people.

I am starting to think more and more that violence and a strong desire to kill innocent civilians is in the Muslim's DNA!