A brush with danger. Bombings on the Malay-Thai border.
This is an extract from the Malay newspaper: http://thestar.com.my
Two bombs exploded at the Malaysia-Thailand checkpoint yesterday (Wednesday) morning. The first bomb went off at 7.30am, destroying three immigration posts. Fifteen minutes later another bomb exploded nearby, forcing the closure of the busy bridge which connects Kolok in Thailand to Rantau Panjang in Kelantan, Malaysia.
Thai deputy consul-general in Malaysia, Niran Boonjit, siad no one was injured in the incident. A Thai police spokesman in Bangkok said that both bombs, weighing 1kg and 2kg, were triggered using digital watches.
The bridge, which is open daily from 6am to 10pm, had been reopened and the situation returned to normal by Wednesday afternoon. Tour guide Shaari Jusoh said the explosions could be heard in Rantau Panjang some 300m away.
More than 3,500 people have died since suspected separatists resumed their armed campaign to seek independence for the Muslim-majority Thai provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.
My thoughts:
This checkpoint is 30km from Kota Bharu where I am now. I have spent a total of 8 days in Kolok in Thailand and crossed this bridge twice recently! When I was first in Kolok (Sept ‘08) a woman told me how the town’s Police station had been bombed on 21st Aug 2008. Two dead and over 30 wounded!
A little too close for comfort?
What the hell am I doing hanging around here?
Takut - Scary!
Other news: I haven’t had a beer or cigarette for 2 weeks. This leads me to a gloomy question: why suffer the pain of quitting nicotine? To avoid cancer or heart disease? I could die in a bomb-blast or bus crash tomorrow. Perhaps I should continue smoking and live under the philosophy: your time is up when your time is up. However, I do feel healthier and have a few extra quid in my pocket so is this a moot point?
Tomorrow is my 950th consecutive day of travel meaning the 7th March will be my 1000th day away from England. I am determined to escape Kota Bharu on Saturday by taking a bus to Kuala Lumpu. Armin is there so hopefully I can catch up with him.
I installed skype last night and ended up talking to a Vietnamese woman for 2hours! Her name is Julia, 28 from Saigon. She works as a sales executive for a Singapore-based air compressor outfit. Quite an interesting lass (and cute too). Perhaps I will go to Saigon and teach instead!
NUFC lost at home to Hull last night in a FA Cup 3rd round replay despite dominating the match (if the BBC are to be believed). I wish I’d been born in either Manchester, Liverpool or London so I could see what a trophy looks like! Even Pompey would do! NUFC have not won anything in my lifetime - will this barren spell ever end?
Air - water (air is pronounced: eye-yi)
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