Blast near Buddhist temple in south Thailand injures 13

A self-made explosive device went off on Tuesday morning near a Buddhist temple in the southern Thai province of Pattani injuring a monk, nine soldiers and three civilians, the country's news website Nation reported. The explosive was hidden in a cooking gas cylinder and was later put in a catering wheel-cart that was left unattended at the roadside. The bomb was detonated from a remote control as monks were returning from alms collection escorted by a unit of troops. Police say the bomb weighed approximately 5 kg (around 11 lbs) and went off at 7:15 in the morning local time. Insurgents are active in three Muslim-dominated provinces in the south of Thailand, which are Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. The insurgents are mainly targeting Buddhist monks and teachers and for this reason armed units of troops escort monks during alms collections and teachers on their way to work.