The 2005 Songkhla bombings were a series of three bombings that took place on 3 April 2005 in the cities of

Hat Yai Hat Yai ( th, หาดใหญ่, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. It is south of Bangkok, and has a population of 156,802 (2019) in the city itself and an urban population of about 400,00 ...

and

Songkhla Songkhla ( th, สงขลา, ), also known as Singgora or Singora ( Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ), is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies south of B ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

's Songkhla Province. They and are believed to be part of the ongoing

south Thailand insurgency The South Thailand insurgency ( th, ความไม่สงบในชายแดนภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย; ms, Pemberontakan di Thailand Selatan) is an ongoing conflict centered in southern Thailand. It ...

. At least two people were killed and 66 were injured in the explosions. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts, but they may to be linked to the Patani United Liberation Organisation (PULO), which has been an active participant in the

in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The attacks in Songkhla Province may have suggested that insurgent activity was expanding, or simply that security in Songkhla province was more lax than in the three southern provinces. The bombings, drive-by shootings and machete attacks in southern Thailand began in January 2004, and by April 2005 had resulted in over 600 deaths. Thai officials denied that the bombings were linked with the southern insurgency.

Description

The explosions took place between 20:00 to 20:30. A bomb planted in a garbage bin exploded in front of a

Carrefour Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, whic ...

store in Hat Yai, injuring five and causing minor damage to the building. Shortly after that, a bomb inside a bag exploded at the departure hall of

Hat Yai International Airport Hat Yai International Airport ( th, ท่าอากาศยานหาดใหญ่, ) is an international airport in southern Thailand in Songkhla Province near the city of Hat Yai. It is under the management of Airports of Thailand, P ...

, killing two and injuring 47. The blast also caused some damage to the building. Later, a bomb planted on a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

exploded in front of Green World Hotel in Songkhla without causing any injuries or deaths nor damage to the building. At least two people were killed and 66 were injured in the blasts: one man was killed instantly in one of the explosions while a woman sustained serious injuries and died later. Both of them were of Thai nationality. Of the 66 people injured, 60 were Thais, one was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, one was

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, two were from

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

, and two were

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

n. Many were seriously injured, and several were in critical condition. The dynamite and fertiliser bombs were set off by mobile phone. Images from the Hat Yai airport's closed circuit television indicated that the bomb was hidden in a man's luggage. Immediately following the bombings, security was heightened in the surrounding areas, in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, and at airports throughout the country. The attacks prompted some to emigrate from the violence-torn southern region of the country, and others to cancel their travel plans to the area. The Hat Yai airport was closed for six months following the bombings.

In popular culture

* ''

Modernine TV MCOT HD (in Thailand called Channel 9 MCOT HD th, ช่อง 9 เอ็มคอตเอชดี) is a Thai free-to-air television network launched on 24 June 1955 and owned by MCOT. History The channel was originally launched as Cha ...

'' discussed 2001 and 2005 Songkhla bombings on ''TimeLine'', 29 February 2016, in "The hunt...city bombing".

References

External links

Thousands moving out of city in Thailand's troubled south
(Asia Pacific News)
Thai bombing suspect caught on camera
(Gulf Times)

(USA Today)

(CNN.com) {{DEFAULTSORT:Songkhla Bombings, 2005 South Thailand insurgency Terrorist incidents in Thailand in 2005 Songkhla province Improvised explosive device bombings in Thailand Islamic terrorism in Thailand Religiously motivated violence in Thailand Attacks in Asia in 2005 Mass murder in 2005 2005 crimes in Thailand Attacks in Thailand

Description

In popular culture

See also

References

External links