The 2006 Hat Yai bombings took place in

Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...

, Songkhla Province, Thailand on 16 September 2006 and are believed to be part of the ongoing

South Thailand insurgency The Southern Thailand Insurgency (; ) is an ongoing conflict centered in southern Thailand. It originated in 1948 as an ethnic and religious separatist insurgency in the historical Malays (ethnic group), Malay Patani (historical region), Patani ...

. At least five people were killed and 82 were injured."Bomb Blast Aftermath." ''Bangkok Post''. 18 September 2006. Page 4.
The attacks were similar to the

2005 Songkhla bombings The 2005 Songkhla bombings were a series of three bombings that took place on 3 April 2005 in the cities of Hat Yai and Songkhla of Thailand's Songkhla Province. They are believed to be part of the ongoing South Thailand insurgency. At least two ...

Attack

At around 9:30 p.m., six bombs were detonated in the Ocean Department Store, in front of the Brown Sugar Pub, a car parking building, a

Big C Big C, operated by Big C Supercenter Public Company Limited under Big C Retail Corporation Public Company Limited, is a grocery and general merchandising retailer headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2016, Big C was Thailand's second-largest hy ...

shopping mall, the Lee Gardens Hotel and the

Diana Department Store Diana Department Store () is a chain of department stores in southern Thailand. It was a public company with a ticker symbol CGD and traded on the SET. Background The company has three stores, one in Pattani and two in Hat Yai, Songkhla Provin ...

. The bombs were planted on motorcycles and were triggered by mobile phone. This later caused Thai authorities to turn off the mobile phone network to prevent any more explosions. The attacks had marred a day which was supposed to have been dominated by a military peace rally held in the south.

Casualties

Among those killed were a Malaysian, a Canadian and three Thais. A number of other civilians were injured and taken to the hospital where some officials complained that there was not enough blood for them, as the Xinhua news agency reported. Injured civilians totalled up to 82, including 14 foreigners. Those injured foreigners included six Malaysians, three Singaporeans and Britons, an Indian, and an American.

Suspects

It is assumed that the

carried out the attacks. While no terrorist organisation took responsibility for the bombings, General Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya indicated that Thai authorities had expected bomb attacks in Hat Yai sometime between 16 and 20 September to mark the first anniversary of the

Gerakan Mujahidin Islam Patani The Pattani Islamic Mujahideen Movement (; GMIP) is an Islamist militant insurgent group that has carried out violent actions as part of the protracted insurgency in Southern Thailand. GMIP is hostile to the practices of moderate Malay Muslims ...

(GMIP) separatist movement, which is a splinter group of the Gerakan Mujahidin Patani (GMP)."Security 'loophole' admitted." ''Bangkok Post''. 18 September 2006. Page 1.

References

South Thailand insurgency Terrorist incidents in Thailand in 2006 Songkhla province Building bombings in Thailand Islamic terrorism in Thailand 2006 building bombings 21st-century mass murder in Thailand Mass murder in 2006 2006 murders in Thailand Motorcycle bombings in Thailand Attacks on shopping malls in Thailand Shopping mall bombings in Asia {{Thailand-stub

Attack

Casualties

Suspects

See also

References