5 army rangers, 2 policemen wounded by bomb blasts in southern Thailand

BANGKOK, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Five army rangers and two policemen were seriously wounded by bomb blasts in southern Thailand on Friday, police said.

Separate roadside bombings hit Su-ngai Padi district of Narathiwat province and Nong Chik district of Pattani province on Friday morning.

In Su-ngai Padi district, two bombs had been placed in roadside bushes and detonated by suspected separatists, wounding the five army rangers.

In Chanae district, a suspected separatist was gunned down by a rangers' unit, shortly after the bombing in Su-ngai Padi district.

In Nong Chik district of Pattani, another bomb went off on a road, wounding two police officers who were providing security for local teachers in a village.