Three killed, 18 wounded in southern Thailand market blast

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Three people have been killed and at least 18 wounded after a motorcycle bomb exploded in a market in Thailand's southern Yala province, a spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) said.

"The criminals put a bomb in a motorcycle and placed it next to a market cart. The force of the explosion caused three people to lose their lives," said Pramote Prom-in, a spokesperson for the ISOC government security force that operates in the region.

No group has claimed immediate responsibility for the attack.

The mostly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala in Thailand's far south are home to a long-running insurgency by ethnic Malay Muslims fighting for autonomy in which more than 6,000 people have been killed since 2004.

Analysts who monitor the conflict say violence from the insurgency fell to an historic low in 2017 despite talks aimed at bringing peace gaining little traction.

Thailand's military government has tried to revive talks with rebel groups initiated by the previous civilian government, but they have gone almost nowhere.

(Top photo from Twitter account @sunaibkk)

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Source(s): Reuters