PATTANI : An eight-year-old girl escaped unhurt when her father was killed in a drive-by shooting in Yarang district yesterday. Worasak Polpala, 35, was taking his daughter to the city. He rode a motorcycle on the Pattani-Yala road when gunmen on motorcycles approached and shot him several times.

He died at the scene.

Authorities suspected militants attacked him in retaliation for the recent arrest of heavily-armed suspects in the province.

In Narathiwat's Bacho district, a bomb went off in a water drainage pipe along the Narathiwat-Pattani road as a patrol team drove past around 1am on Saturday. No one was hurt.

A bomber detonated the 20-kilogramme homemade bomb stuffed in a gas tank, presumably aimed at a navy patrol team. But the bomb malfunctioned and went off when the team was already 20 metres away from the spot.

A bomb squad found the detonation wire about 50 metres away from the bomb.

Another explosive was found at the scene, believed to be targeting a bomb squad.

Fourth Army commander Lt-Gen Pichet Wisaijorn said the bomb detonation at the drainage pipe proved authorities had done a better job monitoring their respective areas and militants could no longer plant a bomb under the road.

He praised the public for their greater cooperation, which gave authorities a morale boost.

Soldiers have been told to listen to villagers' troubles and lend a helping hand where necessary

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