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Published on September 27, 2007

Yala

One police officer suffered minor injuries in the gunfight, while the armoured personnel carrier belonging to a Border Patrol Police unit was hit with several rounds.

The bomb left a three-metre wide crater in the road.

The incident took place late Tuesday evening in this violence-plagued district where roadside attacks and target killings take place on a daily basis.

The evening also saw a shooting death in Tambon Yupo in Yala's Muang district.

Police discovered the bullet-riddled body of Manawee Tohpee, 25, under a bridge.

In nearby Pattani's Yarang district, fellow teachers mourned the death of Somchoke Thipkongraj, 59, who was shot dead on Tuesday morning as he was waiting for a public bus to go the school where he teaches.

Hundreds of teachers and public schools have been regularly targeted by insurgents looking to discredit the state security apparatus.

Malay separatists see Thai public schools as the top institution that promotes Thai ideology and identity at the expense of their cultural identity.

The Nation