The bombing Tuesday occurred at a morning market in the Muang district of Yala in the Muslim-majority south, injuring 44 people, six of them seriously, the Bangkok Post reported.

The newspaper said a large crowd was buying food at various stalls when the explosion occurred. The injured were taken to hospital in Yala.

Police said the explosives were strapped to a motorcycle near one of the stalls.

Separately, authorities arrested two men for past insurgent attacks in the region.

On Monday, an explosion in Narathiwat Province, near the border with Malaysia, killed eight soldiers, who were returning after escorting a group of teachers to a school. Teachers are among those who have been targeted by the insurgents fighting for a separate Muslim state in predominantly Buddhist Thailand.

In the Monday incident, reports said the roadside blast went off as the soldiers' vehicle passed. The militants later reportedly shot the soldiers.

A Thai government spokesman said the Cabinet has approved extending an emergency decree for another three months in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.