2017 Pattani bombing

2017 Pattani bombing
Part of the South Thailand Insurgency
Location	6°51′43″N101°13′53″E / 6.862048°N 101.231419°E / 6.862048; 101.231419 Pattani, Pattani Province, Thailand
Date	9 May 2017;8 years ago (2017-05-09) 02:50 PM Thailand time (UTC+07:00)
Target	Civilians
Attack type	Car bomb
Weapon	Improvised explosive device
Deaths	0
Injured	80 (4 seriously)
Perpetrators	Barisan Revolusi Nasional (suspected)

On 9 May 2017, two bombs exploded at a Big C supermarket in Pattani, Thailand. 56 people were injured, two seriously. Two men, alleged by police to be Pattani Muslim separatists, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the attack.

Attack

The attack took place around 2:50 PM Thai time (07:50 UTC) on 10 May with the detonation of a bomb on a motorcycle near the entrance at the Big C supermarket. ^[1] 10 minutes later, a second blast a larger and more powerful explosion outside the building entrance, from pickup truck carrying two gas cylinders with explosives weighing about 100 kg. ^[2]

56 people were injured, four seriously including a child, and no deaths were reported. ^[1] Most of the wounded received treatment at the scene, but 21 people were taken to hospital with serious injuries. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

The same shopping centre had been bombed twice before, in 2005 and 2012. ^[7]

Suspects

The police have said three groups of six people were involved in the bombings. ^[8] A massive manhunt was launched for four men who were allegedly involved in the twin blasts.The police killed one suspect and arrested two others in a shootout at a mosque.^{[ citation needed ]}

The police initially said the attackers had suspected links to Barisan Revolusi Nasional. ^[1] They have also alleged that the attackers had ties to Bakong Pittaya School in Pattani, and that a December 2017 raid on the school turned up bomb making supplies and anti-government and rebel material. ^{[9] [10]}

In September 2018 the two men, including one were convicted and sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment, for the attack. ^[11] Another suspect was killed by Thai security forces in 2020. ^[12] Warrants remain outstanding for others. ^[11]

Filmmaker Bhandavis Depchand made a short documentary called Journey of Isolation (2018) about suspect Pauji Tasamoh, based on interviews with his family. ^[13]

See also

• South Thailand insurgency

References

1. "Pattani suspects identified". The Nation. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
2. Benjakat, Abdullah (12 July 2017). "Big C bombing suspect killed at Pattani mosque". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
3. "Car bomb hit Thailand's troubled south, injures 51". Channel News Asia. 9 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
4. "Double bombing hits Thailand's violence-plagued south". Al Jazeera. 9 May 2017.
5. "Twin blasts at Thailand shopping mall leave at least 60 injured". International Business Times. 9 May 2017.
6. "Thailand: Insurgents Bomb Southern Mall". Human Rights Watch. 9 May 2017.
7. Murdoch, Lindsay (10 May 2017). "Bombing in Thailand's south targets shoppers, injuring at least 56". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
8. Benjakat, Abdullah (10 May 2017). "18 suspects in car-bombing of Big C". The Bangkok Post.
9. Ahmad, Maryam (22 February 2018). "Thailand: Police Link Deep South Islamic School to Rebels".
10. Global threat forecast : a Journal of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research : Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis / Rohan Gunaratna; S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSiS). Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University. 2018. doi:10.29171/azu_acku_pamphlet_ua853_a3_g563_2018.
11. Benjakat, Abdullah; Online reporters (20 September 2018). "Big C bombers given life sentences by Pattani court". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
12. Ahmad, Mariyam (30 April 2020). "Thailand Forces Kill 3 Suspected Insurgents in Pattani". Benar News.
13. "Deep South – Deep South Movie Matchmaking: Cerebration of Okinawa and Thai Deep South Filmmakers". Japan Foundation Bangkok. 2 May 2004.