Two near-simultaneous bombs exploded in southern Thailand, including one at the airport in Hat Yai city killing one person and wounding a dozen, police said.

Islamists Bomb airport, city in Thai south, one dead: police. The two simultaneous explosions come just two days after a team from the world’s largest Islamic group, the Indonesia-based Nahdlatul Ulama, wrapped up a five-day mission to the region aimed at mediating between the government and Muslim militants.

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“According to initial reports, one person has died from the bomb at the airport, and about a dozen people were injured,” a police officer told AFP from Hat Yai, restive southern Thailand’s largest city and commercial capital. “At the same time, a bomb also went off in front of the city’s Carrefour department store,” he said, adding there were injuries reported there but he had few details.

The airport blast occured at 8:24 pm (1324 GMT) inside the departure terminal, an airport official said. “There was a bomb in front of the bookstore in the airport, close to the check-in counter,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Many people are injured,” the official added. ...

The explosions come just two days after a team from the world’s largest Islamic group, the Indonesia-based Nahdlatul Ulama, wrapped up a five-day mission to the region aimed at mediating between between the government and Muslim militants.

On Thursday Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, under pressure from rights groups and Muslim-majority nations that his heavy-handed tactics were fomenting unrest, said Thailand may scale back its forces in the southern provinces.

Insurgency in Southern Thailand

The Muslim minority accounting for about 5 % of Thai population is concentrated in the provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala in southern Thailand (adjoining Malaysia). The vast majority of these Muslims are Malay in origin, the remainder being Pakistani immigrants, ethnic Thai Muslims and a few Chinese Muslims.

The bulk of the region now occupied by the Muslims was annexed by Thailand in 1902 as a buffer against British Malaya. The Islamic sultanate of Pattani is considered by some to be the cradle of Islam in Southeast Asia. Thais and Malays differ greatly in their language, religion and sensibilities. Because of these differences separatists have mushroomed in this region with the aim of seeking reunification with Malaysia.

Muslim separatist groups are known to be in Thailand since the 1950s and were involved in drug trafficking along with Communist Party of Thailand to raise funds for their political and insurgent activities. The separatist activity was at its peak in the 1970s and 1980s but the government successfully defused the secessionist movement by granting greater religious freedom, tough security measures, improved communications and development measures.

The Muslim separatist movement has disintegrated into a number of small groups and as a result there is no concerted effort to fight for their separatist aim. Some of these groups have also been banned by the government. Currently there is an umbrella Muslim group called Bersatu led by Malaysia based Wan Abdul Kadir Che Man.

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