More than 10 bombs rocked the heart of Yala town yesterday evening, killing at least two people and wounding more than 40 others.

The bombs started exploding one after another in different locations at 6.50pm.  The blasts prompted officials to cut phone signals to all cellphone systems.  The first bomb went off on Sri Putra Road near an old market, killing two people.  Shortly after, a second explosion near the Park View Hotel on Ruammit Road, left scores injured. The third bomb went off near Yala Ram Hotel, followed by a fourth near the Rama Cafe restaurant.

A fifth device later exploded near the Saeb Isarn food shop, a sixth at a fruit stall at the Muang Mai market, a seventh at an Esso petrol station, an eighth in front of an education office, a ninth at stationery shop, the 10th behind a municipality school and the 11th on Tha Sap road. About 10 bombs had been found and defused, police said.

The bomb blasts caused a widespread blackout in Yala Muang municipality.

A source said several suspicious objects had also been placed in other locations.

Police believe the attack was the work of insurgents looking to mark the seventh anniversary of the Tak Bai tragedy on Oct 25, 2004, which resulted in 85 deaths.

The infamous Tak Bai tragedy took place when seven Muslim men were killed during attempts to disperse a protest in Tak Bai district and 78 more men died of suffocation after they were forced to lie face down on top of one another aboard military trucks as they were transported from the protest site to a military unit in Pattani.

Earlier in the day, a soldier was wounded when his patrol was ambushed in Pattani’s Sai Buri district.

An unknown number of assailants hiding on Narathiwat-Pattani Road in Sai Buri district fired on the patrol at around 7am.

Sgt Maj Kriangkrai Ruamthong was slightly wounded above his left eyebrow.