BANGKOK, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- A southern court in Thailand has handed down life imprisonment to two men on Thursday for the double-bombing of a hypermarket in Pattani in May last year that left 56 people injured.

Suhaimee Samae and Samae Mama were found guilty of the explosion which struck a Big C shopping center in downtown Pattani in May 2017, according to the court.

The two men were initially given death penalties, but their sentences were commuted to life as they have confessed to the bombing.

The convicted men's lawyer said they will appeal the verdict.

Thai military said 10 other people connected to the bombing are still on the run.

The southern border provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been rocked by waves of secessionist violence since early 2004, a conflict that has claimed more than 6,500 lives, including those of many civilians.