21 August 2008
Chalee Boonsawat
Explosion
A car bomb exploded in a town in southern Thailand that has been a target of insurgent attacks, killing a journalist and wounding 30 government officials and shoppers, security officials said.
The explosion came minutes after a bomb hidden in a motorcycle was remotely detonated near a busy restaurant and the police station in Sungai Kolok, police Major General Pongsak Nakwijit said. The first explosion caused no casualties.
"The second bomb came as security forces and journalists were rushing to the scene and killed a journalist," Pongsak told Channel 3 television.
"The blast killed him," Pongsak said, identifying the victim as Chalee Boonsawat, who worked for a Bangkok newspaper and a television station. He briefly worked for Reuters.
