An emergency bomb attack erupting in front of a restaurant beside the packed 80-room Southwestern View Hotel in Muang city of Pattani nearly a decade ago has remained in the remembrance of Saibua Kaewmanee.
The attack killed one and injured 33 people including Ms Saibua, then 41. It took position on the day of Aug 23, 2016.
The attack was one of three explosive strikes in Pattani that day. The other two blows occurred inside a bathroom at a restaurant beside the same resort and in a rubbish bucket at a business in tambon Bo Thong of Nong Chik area.
The attack followed a flood of attacks and burning in six southeastern and one opposite central state earlier that month, when four people were killed and 35 people wounded.
Mr Saibua recalls that when the weapon went out, she was having dinner at a store in front of the resort after returning from Malaysia.
She said the fire sent shockwaves through her system, causing serious injury to her domestic tissues.
She suffered a cut mouth, was hit by debris all over her figure and suffered severe burns to her brain.
One touch of debris pierced her tummy causing internal haemorrhaging and rupture.
She said it left her stricken on the ground with body streaming from her neck and chest until she was rushed to near Pattani Hospital by emergency.
” I may have died if I had arrived at the hospital any later,’ ‘ she lamented on the sidelines of a new website that brought Buddhist victims, harmony advocates, human rights defenders and reporters together to share their perspectives and insights on harmony building for the serious South.
Ms Saibua was in hospital for a month after the attack but says she had not fully recovered until now.
” I have never forgotten what happened. Every night I have been praying for peace in the area. I hope nothing like it will happen again to anyone,’ ‘ she said.
As the mother of three children, Ms Saibua, then 32, said despite the fact that she was in so much pain immediately after, she told herself that she could not die, and she would do whatever she had to do to survive to see her children’s faces again.
As a victim of violence in three southernmost border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, Ms Saibua received 700, 000 baht compensation from the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
She said it was still insufficient for her to pay for medical expenses that were not included in the 30-baht universal scheme.
She said the money which has almost run out has also covered household spending for almost a decade.
” I have been unemployed for years because of health problems. Moreover, I have been suffering from the trauma of the event.
” I still have difficulty regulating my emotions. I have a fear of crowds. I am still afraid I might have a panic attack in public. That’s why I still see a psychiatrist,’ ‘ she said.
Ms Saibua also made a plea for assistance for the government not to stop helping all victims of violence in the deep South both financially and with schemes to provide employment.
” I am one of those who is still badly affected by these violent attacks. Many Buddhists have moved out of the area because they do not want to be the next victims.
” Many opt to live here because the three southernmost border provinces are their birthplaces, and where there should be nothing to fear,’ ‘ she said, adding the state must only bring those people involved in committing a number of violent attacks to justice for the sake of peace and security.
When asked about the role of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra could take in solving the southern problems as an adviser to Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, Ms Saibua added that she and other people in the deep South would be very happy if his mission was successful.
However, nobody should forget that violence has been endemic in the region for decades. ” Or will he ( Thaksin ) be a magic pill for us?’ ‘ she asked.
Another Buddhist victim, Thanawut Chuwaen, 23, who lives in Nong Chik district, said his father and mother had been killed during another such attack when he was just 7 years old.
After their death, his grandmother had stepped in to help take care of him and his two siblings while they grew up.
” I really don’t want to see more casualties resulting from violence in the area. I want all stakeholders in the country to help put an end to the situation, returning peace and safety to my homeland,” he said.
Between January 2004 and January 2025, there were 22, 962 security incidents recorded by Deep South Watch, resulting in 7, 683 deaths and 14, 415 injuries.