Bomb Blast in BKK
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London Boy
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Bomb Blast in BKK
BBC have reported a bomb going off in BKK killing 1 and wounding 10 in the same area which was occupied during the last red shirt protest
Re: Bomb Blast in BKK
City bomb blast kills one
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1 ... -kills-one
* Published: 26/07/2010 at 12:39 AM
* Online news: Local News
A bomb has exploded in front of a department store in the Ratchadamri shopping district, killing one person and injuring eight.
The bomb went off on Sunday at a bus stop in front of the Big C department store opposite CentralWorld shopping complex, which was torched during the red shirt riots on May 19.
The bomb, hidden in a black plastic bag, exploded about 5.45pm. Seven men and two women, including a Burmese woman, were injured while waiting for their buses.
Two of the victims sustained serious injuries, and one has since died.
Weerasak Sae-tae, 40, who has serious injuries, was admitted to Hua Chiew Hospital.
The dead man, admitted to Police General Hospital, was named as Thawatchai Thongmak, 51.
Mayuree Khongsungnern, a bus conductor who witnessed the blast, said she saw flames coming from a pile of garbage near the bus stop before the bomb went off.
Her No 2 bus, which was waiting for passengers, was slightly damaged in the blast.
Police found three batteries, a soft drink can, electric wires and electronic circuitry at the scene.
They believe the bomb was triggered by an alarm clock.
Police sealed off areas around the scene from Ratchaprasong intersection to Pratunam intersection for fear of further possible bomb blasts.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is holidaying in Koh Samet, declined comment until authorities have evaluated the situation.
Democrat candidate PanichVikitsreth, who won yesterday's by-election in Bangkok's Constituency 6, said he did not want to drag the explosion into the by-election, as there was no evidence of violence during his election campaign.
Thepthai Senpong, spokesman for Mr Abhisit, warned the opposition Puea Thai Party against concluding that the bomb was engineered by the government as a pretext to keep the emergency decree in place.
The decree is in place in Bangkok and 15 other provinces.
The National Reform Committee, chaired by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, has called on the government to lift the decree, saying it jeopardises the government's reconciliation efforts and could breach people's rights.
Mr Thepthai called on all sides to withhold comment on the blast until more details were known, as unfounded claims could tarnish the country's reputation and might cause public confusion.
Earlier, Mr Abhisit said the government will have to consider the fate of the decree carefully.
Speaking during his weekly radio and television programme, Mr Abhisit said opinions are divided on the lifting of the decree.
Some security officers want to keep the decree as they are still worried about the political situation in their provinces.
However, business groups want the government to end the decree.
The National Security Council is analysing the situation, and the government will investigate any allegations about security agencies abusing the decree, he said.
Meanwhile, acting secretary-general of the New Politics Party (NPP) Suriyasai Katasila said the government should give the public a say in whether the emergency decree should be lifted.
Lifting the decree will boost public confidence. However, if the government wants to keep the decree in place, it should provide reasons for doing so, he said.
The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation should not be the sole agency to decide whether to lift the decree or keep it in place, he said.
Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanand said the decree is still needed in his province, as some groups with ill-intentions were ready to cause trouble.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1 ... -kills-one
* Published: 26/07/2010 at 12:39 AM
* Online news: Local News
A bomb has exploded in front of a department store in the Ratchadamri shopping district, killing one person and injuring eight.
The bomb went off on Sunday at a bus stop in front of the Big C department store opposite CentralWorld shopping complex, which was torched during the red shirt riots on May 19.
The bomb, hidden in a black plastic bag, exploded about 5.45pm. Seven men and two women, including a Burmese woman, were injured while waiting for their buses.
Two of the victims sustained serious injuries, and one has since died.
Weerasak Sae-tae, 40, who has serious injuries, was admitted to Hua Chiew Hospital.
The dead man, admitted to Police General Hospital, was named as Thawatchai Thongmak, 51.
Mayuree Khongsungnern, a bus conductor who witnessed the blast, said she saw flames coming from a pile of garbage near the bus stop before the bomb went off.
Her No 2 bus, which was waiting for passengers, was slightly damaged in the blast.
Police found three batteries, a soft drink can, electric wires and electronic circuitry at the scene.
They believe the bomb was triggered by an alarm clock.
Police sealed off areas around the scene from Ratchaprasong intersection to Pratunam intersection for fear of further possible bomb blasts.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is holidaying in Koh Samet, declined comment until authorities have evaluated the situation.
Democrat candidate PanichVikitsreth, who won yesterday's by-election in Bangkok's Constituency 6, said he did not want to drag the explosion into the by-election, as there was no evidence of violence during his election campaign.
Thepthai Senpong, spokesman for Mr Abhisit, warned the opposition Puea Thai Party against concluding that the bomb was engineered by the government as a pretext to keep the emergency decree in place.
The decree is in place in Bangkok and 15 other provinces.
The National Reform Committee, chaired by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun, has called on the government to lift the decree, saying it jeopardises the government's reconciliation efforts and could breach people's rights.
Mr Thepthai called on all sides to withhold comment on the blast until more details were known, as unfounded claims could tarnish the country's reputation and might cause public confusion.
Earlier, Mr Abhisit said the government will have to consider the fate of the decree carefully.
Speaking during his weekly radio and television programme, Mr Abhisit said opinions are divided on the lifting of the decree.
Some security officers want to keep the decree as they are still worried about the political situation in their provinces.
However, business groups want the government to end the decree.
The National Security Council is analysing the situation, and the government will investigate any allegations about security agencies abusing the decree, he said.
Meanwhile, acting secretary-general of the New Politics Party (NPP) Suriyasai Katasila said the government should give the public a say in whether the emergency decree should be lifted.
Lifting the decree will boost public confidence. However, if the government wants to keep the decree in place, it should provide reasons for doing so, he said.
The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation should not be the sole agency to decide whether to lift the decree or keep it in place, he said.
Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanand said the decree is still needed in his province, as some groups with ill-intentions were ready to cause trouble.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: Bomb Blast in BKK
The bomb explosion in front of Big C superstore on Ratchadamri road on Sunday evening is unlikely to be related to the by-election in Bangkok's constituency 6, Army Region 1 Commander Lt Gen Kanit Sapitak said.
"I believe the explosion was done by ill-intentioned people who wanted to create a situation and I don't think it had anything to do with the by-election," Lt Gen Kanit said on Monday morning.
Asked whether the explosion would cause the extending of the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and 15 other provinces, he said the government and security agencies will make the decision.
Police said it would be difficult to track down who was responsible as most closed-circuit television cameras around the area were still inoperative. .
Would the real ill-intentioned person/please stand up. Must have a crystal ball. Pity the CCTV inoperative (convenient??)
"I believe the explosion was done by ill-intentioned people who wanted to create a situation and I don't think it had anything to do with the by-election," Lt Gen Kanit said on Monday morning.
Asked whether the explosion would cause the extending of the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and 15 other provinces, he said the government and security agencies will make the decision.
Police said it would be difficult to track down who was responsible as most closed-circuit television cameras around the area were still inoperative. .
Would the real ill-intentioned person/please stand up. Must have a crystal ball. Pity the CCTV inoperative (convenient??)
Re: Bomb Blast in BKK
Echoes of New Year blasts in 2007
(The Nation.)
Despite loud noise and the spilling of blood, the bomb outside Big C Rajdamri late on Sunday is likely go down in history as an unsolved terror attack shrouded in mystery in terms of what the bomber, or bombers, set out to achieve.
The blast is a classic case of senseless violence. One man was killed and eight people injured. Yet no individual or group has come forward to claim responsibility.
Based on the preliminary police report, the blast was not the work of an amateur but involved careful planning. The bomb was an M67 grenade rigged to be a timed explosive device, which only a well-trained bomber can assemble.
The device was left in a garbage bin near the bus stop in front of the hypermarket on Rajdamri Road. It was timed to go off in the early evening, a busy shopping time regardless of the long holiday weekend.
At this juncture, police and security officials seem to have reached a consensus that the incident was politically motivated. They have various leads and assumptions, but pending the gathering of evidence to solve the case, the terror attack remains a big puzzle.
Even though the explosion happened at a central shopping area filled with security cameras, police found no video footage that could help them re-enact how the bomb was planted.
According to news reports, the picture of a "suspect" was recorded by one security camera. But investigators said that while a man spotted near the garbage bin before the bomb went off might be able to shed light on the incident, it was uncertain if he was the bomber.
Lt-General Panupong Sinhara na Ayutthaya, the lead investigator on the case, duly noted the resemblance between the device and two previous bombs found and defused on April 3 at Nang Lerng and May 14 at Khokkhram.
The failed bombings happened at the height of the red-shirt rally. Both cases are still under investigation and remain unsolved.
Judging from tip-offs to enable police to dismantle the devices, the incidents may have been designed as threats rather than actual attacks. Investigators have yet to draw a conclusion on the motivation behind either incident.
The pro-government side was quick to pin the blame on the red shirts or their armed units. The reds, meanwhile, argued that they were being framed so security forces could have a pretext to crackdown on them.
If justice is to prevail, investigators are obligated to solve the cases based on evidence and not political expediency. The problem, however, is the lack of evidence to pinpoint culpability and explain the violence.
Even as Panupong could identify the similarity between Sunday's explosive device and the two defused bombs, he still needs to gather more evidence before he can unmask the culprits and their motive.
The government and the opposition have already churned out theories designed to gain political mileage. The authorities pointed an accusing finger at the opposition-backed reds, saying they wanted to stir up a disturbance and foil the reconciliation process. But the opposition saw the explosion as a blatant attempt to prolong the state of emergency.
None of these theories are backed up by hard evidence that could shed light on the terror attack. The loud explosion is being eclipsed by noise generated to serve partisan interests.
From a security viewpoint, there is another assumption worth exploring. Some aspects of Sunday's attack were very similar to a series of explosions at New Year in 2007.
The New Year 2007 blasts remain unsolved but were believed to be linked to a rift within the Army. This time around, it just so happens that the bombing took place as outgoing Army chief General Anupong Paochinda is poised to nominate his successor.
(The Nation.)
Despite loud noise and the spilling of blood, the bomb outside Big C Rajdamri late on Sunday is likely go down in history as an unsolved terror attack shrouded in mystery in terms of what the bomber, or bombers, set out to achieve.
The blast is a classic case of senseless violence. One man was killed and eight people injured. Yet no individual or group has come forward to claim responsibility.
Based on the preliminary police report, the blast was not the work of an amateur but involved careful planning. The bomb was an M67 grenade rigged to be a timed explosive device, which only a well-trained bomber can assemble.
The device was left in a garbage bin near the bus stop in front of the hypermarket on Rajdamri Road. It was timed to go off in the early evening, a busy shopping time regardless of the long holiday weekend.
At this juncture, police and security officials seem to have reached a consensus that the incident was politically motivated. They have various leads and assumptions, but pending the gathering of evidence to solve the case, the terror attack remains a big puzzle.
Even though the explosion happened at a central shopping area filled with security cameras, police found no video footage that could help them re-enact how the bomb was planted.
According to news reports, the picture of a "suspect" was recorded by one security camera. But investigators said that while a man spotted near the garbage bin before the bomb went off might be able to shed light on the incident, it was uncertain if he was the bomber.
Lt-General Panupong Sinhara na Ayutthaya, the lead investigator on the case, duly noted the resemblance between the device and two previous bombs found and defused on April 3 at Nang Lerng and May 14 at Khokkhram.
The failed bombings happened at the height of the red-shirt rally. Both cases are still under investigation and remain unsolved.
Judging from tip-offs to enable police to dismantle the devices, the incidents may have been designed as threats rather than actual attacks. Investigators have yet to draw a conclusion on the motivation behind either incident.
The pro-government side was quick to pin the blame on the red shirts or their armed units. The reds, meanwhile, argued that they were being framed so security forces could have a pretext to crackdown on them.
If justice is to prevail, investigators are obligated to solve the cases based on evidence and not political expediency. The problem, however, is the lack of evidence to pinpoint culpability and explain the violence.
Even as Panupong could identify the similarity between Sunday's explosive device and the two defused bombs, he still needs to gather more evidence before he can unmask the culprits and their motive.
The government and the opposition have already churned out theories designed to gain political mileage. The authorities pointed an accusing finger at the opposition-backed reds, saying they wanted to stir up a disturbance and foil the reconciliation process. But the opposition saw the explosion as a blatant attempt to prolong the state of emergency.
None of these theories are backed up by hard evidence that could shed light on the terror attack. The loud explosion is being eclipsed by noise generated to serve partisan interests.
From a security viewpoint, there is another assumption worth exploring. Some aspects of Sunday's attack were very similar to a series of explosions at New Year in 2007.
The New Year 2007 blasts remain unsolved but were believed to be linked to a rift within the Army. This time around, it just so happens that the bombing took place as outgoing Army chief General Anupong Paochinda is poised to nominate his successor.