Bomb blast targets former southern Thai politician

BANGKOK, April 8 (TNA) - A grenade was fired from an M79 launcher at the house of former Narathiwat MP Najmuddin Uma on Sunday night, despite ongoing peace efforts in the region. The grenade damaged the house and a vehicle of Najmuddin, who is adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung. Najmuddin said he had just returned from negotiation with a local rebel group and the incident could have been a threat from those opposing the peace process. Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), said considering that Najmuddin was a politician, the attack could be politically motivated. He pointed out that Najmuddin’s house came under grenade attack last year on March 30. The NSC secretary-general insisted that repeated violence in the region had nothing to do with peace negotiation with rebel groups, assuring that peace talks would continue together with the implementation of security measures. (TNA)