2 soldiers killed, 6 others injured by bomb in restive S. Thailand

Bangkok, May 1 (Xinhua-ANI): Two soldiers were killed and six others injured by the explosion of a motorcycle bomb in restive southern province of Pattani on Tuesday morning, Bangkok Post online said.

The explosion occurred on the No. 418 Highway in Pattani's Mae Lan district, when soldiers on two six-wheel trucks and two pickup trucks were passing a parked motorcycle and heading back to their camp in Pattani.

The motorcycle bomb attack comes only two days after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra visited the deep South.

The wounded soldiers were taken to Pattani hospital.

Police were clearing the scene. They blamed separatist militants.

The violence has continued in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat since 2004, leaving thousands wounded and over 5,000 people dead, including residents, government workers and suspected insurgents. (Xinhua-ANI)