Thai PM denies police chief will be sacked

BANGKOK: -- Thai prime minister Surayud Chulanont on Monday denied rumours that he will sack national police chief Kowit Wattana over poor handling of the investigation of the bomb attacks in Bangkok on New Year's Eve.

Gen. Surayud reiterated he had not set any timeframe or other conditions for Pol. Gen. Kowit and the police investigation team in handling the case because he wanted everyone concerned to do their work with full efforts during this period.

The prime minister made his remark following spreading rumours that he was dissatisfied with the national police bureau's poor response to the series of bomb blasts in Bangkok December 31 which left three persons dead and more than 40 wounded. No perpetrators have been implicated or arrested.

Speaking after meeting with military Council for National Security chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin at Government House Monday morning, the prime minister said that Gen. Sonthi, in his capacity as head of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), had reported to him on developments in the Bangkok bombing investigation.

So far, he said, while the investigation has made some headway with some suspects being traced, he could not say whether available evidence -- including closed-circuit TV coverage -- would implicate those behind the bombings.

The prime minister said he could not predict when the case could be concluded, but explained he did not want to put pressure on the appropriate authorities by setting an artificial timeframe. However, he said, he asked them to do their best to conclude the probe.

--TNA 2007-01-08

the forensic unit was prevented by the police to gather the evidence from the pratunam pier bombing and the other places were not properly investigated as well and non of the traffic/security cameras were working/recording.

Unless there are more bombings to get more evidence or to catch the perpetrators red handed and unless the police would stop (it seams) covering for them - we would never know the true behind what happened.