Thai Islamists Strike Again

The Thai Islamists have struck again, wounding 27 in a series of bombings.

Suspected Muslim insurgents set off five bombs early Monday in a Thai-Malaysian border tourist town, wounding 27 people, many of them New Year's revelers, an army spokesman said.

The bombs exploded in the hotel and nightlife area of Sungai Kolok, including two inside a hotel discotheque and one hidden in the carrying basket of a motorcycle outside a hotel, said spokesman Col. Akara Thiprote.

"Sungai Kolok is a tourist town and people were here to celebrate the New Year. I think this is why they targeted the town," Akara said.

Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province attracts many tourists from neighboring Malaysia and has been attacked several times in recent years. One of the 27 wounded may have been a Malaysian, Akara said.

The Thai Islamists have been assisted by Malaysian Islamists, as many of the attacks have been in the border region.