Militants’ sabotaging of Betong
Recent bombing of high voltage pylons in Tharnto district of Narathiwat is believed by security officials to be an attempt by the anti-government militants to undermine the economy of Betong district of Yala.
Six pylons which were erected in the jungle in Ban Bua Thong, Tambon Ban Rae of Tharnto district collapsed as a result of bomb explosions on July 11. The collapse of the pylons caused complete blackout in Betong commercial town for several hours before power was restored.
As a precaution, security officials cut off all mobile phone signals in Betong to prevent the militants from taking advantage of darkness to detonate bombs which might have been planted in the township by using mobile phones.
The bombing of the high-voltage pylons are believed linked to the bomb attacks in Narathiwat’s Su-ngai Kolok district and Padang Besar in Sadao district of Songkhla on the same night. Fifteen power poles were broken by bomb explosions mainly in Tharnto district.
Security officials have suspected that the sabotaging of electrical poles and pylons were ordered by the same perpetrators who ordered the earlier bomb attacks of karoke bars in Betong.
The officials admitted that it was impossible for security forces to prevent the attacks of public utilities like power poles and pylons despite regular road patrols.
Besides Betong, other economic towns such as Muang district of Yala, Muang district of Pattani, Takbai and Su-ngai Kolok districts of Narathiwat and Hat Yai have been marked as possible targets of sabotages by the militants, said security sources.
Also on the night of July 11, one army trooper was injured by a roadside explosion as he and five other colleagues were riding on a pick-up truck to catch fish in Tambon Bang Khao, Nong Chik district of Pattani.
On the same day, a ranger force found an abandoned camp of the militants on Taway mountain range in Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat. A search of the camp uncovered a blue plastic tank containing two sets of home-made bombs weighing about 20 kilogrammes each.