Thai authorities believe the roadside bomb that injured two Malaysians in Tak Bai, Narathiwat, was hidden inside a buried cooking gas cylinder and remotely detonated, according to police investigations.
Narathiwat provincial police chief Major General Prayong Kotsakha said the explosive device, estimated to weigh between 50kg and 70kg, was activated using a remote-controlled mechanism when a vehicle approached the targeted area.
Investigators believe the attack was intended for another vehicle, with the two Malaysian victims caught in the blast after overtaking the intended target moments before the explosion occurred.
According to Prayong, the Malaysians were not the intended targets of the attack. He said their vehicle happened to pass the location at the same time the device was triggered, resulting in the explosion.
He added that authorities suspect insurgent groups operating in Thailand’s southern border provinces were behind the incident, and efforts are ongoing to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Forensic teams and explosive ordnance disposal units have since recovered evidence from the scene, including fragments of a gas cylinder and explosive materials, which are being analysed to support the investigation.
The explosion, which occurred on June 29 along a road in Tak Bai district, severely damaged the Malaysians’ vehicle. The victims, identified as Abdullah Syarapi Abd Rahman, 45, and Muhammad Yusri Udin, 38, were in Narathiwat for a holiday at the time of the incident.
Both men were initially treated at a hospital in Narathiwat before being transferred back to Malaysia for further treatment at Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II.
Despite the incident, cross-border movement along the Golok River in Pengkalan Kubor was reported to be operating as normal, with ferry services between Kelantan and Tak Bai continuing uninterrupted and daily activities proceeding as usual.
