Another villager, the 5th in eight days, was wounded in a bomb explosion while tapping rubber in a plantation in Muang district of Yala province early Thursday.

Police said the incident occurred at about 3am when Jarin Chanluek, 47, of Ban Thung Ya Mu in Tambon Yupo of Muang district went to the plantation near the village.

While tapping rubber, Mr Jarin stepped on a home-made bomb buried at the foot of a rubber tree. He was wounded in the face, an eye, the right hand and right leg by shrapnels. He was admitted to Yala Hospital.

A team of  bomb disposal experts, soldiers from the 12th Yala Task Force and officials fom the 10th forensic centre went to the scene for examination. They  reported that the explosion was caused by a home-made bomb, weighing about 2 kilogrammes.

The bomb was believed to be work of a militant group in the area.

This was the 5th bomb explosion in rubber plantations in Yala in the past eight day.  The 4th one happened yesterday (July 4) in Bannang Sata district where a rubber tapper was injured.