20-11-2024 (BANGKOK) A series of coordinated explosions rocked a construction site in southern Thailand on Wednesday morning, where work is underway on what is set to become the world’s tallest Guanyin statue, leaving three people injured including a nine-year-old girl.
The initial attack occurred shortly after daybreak at approximately 6:10 am in Ban Pak Bang Sakom, Thepha district, when assailants launched two grenades into a workers’ camp. Somporn Namkheow, 45, sustained multiple shrapnel wounds across his body, whilst Don Kaewloy, 46, suffered leg injuries. Young Manthita Withawet received wounds to her head and neck. All victims were promptly transported to Thepha Hospital.
The explosions triggered fires within the camp and destroyed a pickup truck. In a concerning development, authorities discovered threatening messages in both Thai and Myanmar languages at the scene, warning workers against continuing their employment at the site or elsewhere in Thailand’s southern border provinces.
The situation escalated when two additional explosions occurred near the same location later that morning, at 10:30 am and 10:46 am respectively. Though these subsequent blasts caused no injuries, they prompted the evacuation of students and teachers from a nearby scout camp at Pang Yang Resort, who had been attending a two-day programme.
The controversial project, undertaken by TPI Polene Power Plc on a 65-rai coastal plot, aims to construct a 136-metre Guanyin statue by 2026, surpassing the current record holder in China’s Hainan island by 28 metres. The development has faced opposition, with Muslim groups staging peaceful protests in 2022 against its construction.
Local authorities have heightened security measures across Thepha, Chana, Nathawee, and Saba Yoi districts. Explosive ordnance disposal teams are conducting thorough searches of the area, collecting evidence and checking for additional devices.
The statue, representing the Buddhist bodhisattva of infinite compassion, is designed to serve as both a tourism landmark and observation tower in Thailand’s southern region. The incident highlights ongoing tensions in the area, where religious and cultural sensitivities remain significant factors in local development projects.
