Latest : Prawit links Songkhla bomb attacks to local politics

[snoop1130]

Latest : Prawit links Songkhla bomb attacks to local politics

By The Nation

 

Photo : Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan

 

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Thursday linked the Songkhla bomb attacks on Wednesday night to politics in the province. 

 

He said he was confident that the incidents had nothing to do with insurgency in the deep South, claiming that security authorities already knew who was behind the Samila Beach attack. 

 

“The aim was to cause chaos during the New Year festival. The attacks may have stemmed from internal political problems in the province, though we believe the attackers were separatists,” he said, without elaborating. 

 

The double explosions on Wednesday night only damaged the tail of a mermaid statue on the beach. The explosions coincided with Prawit’s visit to the province to distribute land title deeds among local people. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30361217

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-27

[BigBadGeordie]

30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

He said he was confident that the incidents had nothing to do with insurgency in the deep South

 

30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

though we believe the attackers were separatists,”

Make your mind up, please.

 

30 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The explosions coincided with Prawit’s visit to the province

Pure coincidence.

 

Confused, you should be. He clearly is.

[Roy Baht]

41 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

 

Make your mind up, please.

 

Pure coincidence.

 

Confused, you should be. He clearly is.

Well perhaps he's saying (and I'm guessing here) is that the attackers were local insurgents (i.e., from Songkhla Province) and not "deep south" insurgents (i.e., from Yala, Pattani or Narathiwat). Technically, Songkhla is not in the deep south. So Prawit is saying Songkhla was attacked by local separatists (not deep south separatists) who saw Prawit's visit as an opportunity to make trouble.

[Roy Baht]

BTW, the Samila Mermaid is one of the oldest and most beloved symbols of Songkhla, which draws thousands of tourists every year. It's on all the T-shirts. To say that the attackers "only damaged the tail" of the mermaid is like saying to Parisians, "Terrorists only destroyed the tip of the Eiffel Tower". (And "damaged" is inaccurate. The mermaid has no <deleted> tail now.) Obviously, the scale is different--Songkhla is just a small city in south Thailand--but the feeling is the same. I live in Songkhla and people here are very pissed off.

[BigBadGeordie]

27 minutes ago, Roy Baht said:

Well perhaps he's saying (and I'm guessing here) is that the attackers were local insurgents (i.e., from Songkhla Province) and not "deep south" insurgents (i.e., from Yala, Pattani or Narathiwat). Technically, Songkhla is not in the deep south. So Prawit is saying Songkhla was attacked by local separatists (not deep south separatists) who saw Prawit's visit as an opportunity to make trouble.

Or perhaps he just says the first thing that comes into his head and he has not got a clue what is going on.

There is an American chap who is rather similar.

[webfact]

Deputy PM, police at odds over Songkhla blast perpetrators

By THE NATION

 

A mermaid statue on Simila Beach in Songkhla province is examined after being by damaged by two bomb blasts on Wednesday night. The statue is a landmark for visitors to the beach.

 

THE GOVERNMENT’S security tsar General Prawit Wongsuwan linked the bomb attacks in Songkhla yesterday to local politics in the southern province, contradicting intelligence units on the ground who suspected the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) were behind the blasts, in an attempt to disturb the southern business hub.

 

 

There were no casualties but two blasts on Wednesday night blew off the tail of a mermaid statue on Simila Beach in Songkhla. Five more bombs were found and defused in the vicinity of the beach, a famous tourist attraction in the southern province.

 

Two other explosions damaged electricity transmission poles in the province’s Khuan Niang district, also on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, officials defused four bombs yesterday in Bang Klam district. 

 

 

Prawit, who as deputy prime minister and defence minister oversees security matters for the junta-backed government, said he was confident the incidents had nothing to do with the insurgency in the deep South, claiming that security authorities already knew who was behind the Simila Beach attack.

 

“The aim was to cause chaos during the New Year festival. The attacks may have stemmed from internal political problems in the province, though we cannot rule out separatists,” he said, without elaborating. 

 

The explosions coincided with Prawit’s visit to the province to distribute land-title deeds among local people. The junta, which seized power in 2014, plans to call a general election in February next year. 

 

 

However, security officials on the ground said operative cells of BRN had triggered the blasts to damage the southern business hub during the New Year season, as foreign visitors from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia were about to flock to the area.

 

Evidence found at the scene indicated that the bomb was detonated by an electronic clock, suggesting the work of BRN insurgents, according to officials. Intelligence information also indicated that some operative cells of the group had been active in the area over the past weeks, an official said. 

 

Songkhla is adjacent to the violence-ridden deep South, which has seen a spate of attacks since early 2004, claiming more than 7,000 lives so far.

 

Authorities in Bangkok have struggled to confine the violence to only the three southernmost provinces – Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat – but districts in Songkhla were attacked occasionally. 

 

Despite Malaysian facilitation, attempts to establish peace talks with the insurgents over the past years have made no progress. 

 

Deputy National Police chief Pol General Srivara Rangsibhramanakul urged the public not to panic over the bomb attack, saying police and other security officers were doing their best to find the attackers and ensure everybody’s safety during the New Year festivities. 

 

 

“The public should not panic. I have already ordered police reinforcements and stronger screening of people to build public confidence,” he said yesterday.

 

Unlike Prawit, Srivara reckoned the attack was aimed at causing turmoil during the festive period and did not have anything to do with local politics. 

 

Songkhla Governor Veeranan Pengchan ordered local authorities to step up security measures in risky areas to provide safety to tourists. The explosion could have serious implications for the local economy during the New Year celebrations, he said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361270

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-28

[a977]

10 hours ago, Roy Baht said:

BTW, the Samila Mermaid is one of the oldest and most beloved symbols of Songkhla, which draws thousands of tourists every year. It's on all the T-shirts. To say that the attackers "only damaged the tail" of the mermaid is like saying to Parisians, "Terrorists only destroyed the tip of the Eiffel Tower". (And "damaged" is inaccurate. The mermaid has no <deleted> tail now.) Obviously, the scale is different--Songkhla is just a small city in south Thailand--but the feeling is the same. I live in Songkhla and people here are very pissed off.

What you are pissed that Ole' Fatty visited, the bomb missed him or the fact the bomb only got the tail of the mermaid? 

[Emdog]

"Evidence found at the scene indicated that the bomb was detonated by an electronic clock..."

maybe bombers should have "borrowed" a watch...

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit, who as deputy prime minister and defence minister oversees security matters for the junta-backed government

A military commander might typically say, "Not on my watch!" regarding the bombing.

Prawat might better say, "Not without my watches!"

[weegee]

So...Thas how you get a bit of tail in Songkhla?

[phuketsub]

A mermaid's tail?...talk about soft targets.

 

[Stocky]

 

That's Hat Yai Station area, just outside Robinsons, no where near the Songkhla mermaid. Lots of army types in town last night, all the usual roadblocks are fully manned.

 

As for Prawit 'Nahligah' Wongsuwan, I doubt he has the faintest clue what's going on in Bangkok let alone the South.

 

.

[weegee]

1 hour ago, Stocky said:

 

That's Hat Yai Station area, just outside Robinsons, no where near the Songkhla mermaid. Lots of army types in town last night, all the usual roadblocks are fully manned.

 

As for Prawit 'Nahligah' Wongsuwan, I doubt he has the faintest clue what's going on in Bangkok let alone the South.

 

.

Yep...seems like something is going on in the area...The Hatyai Airport was literally crawling with uniforms the other night. Agree with you, thats the station in Hatyai, the Mermaid is 25klms away from there...oh well...

 

[chama]

So who do you trust more to provide "accurate" information? The Toad? Every time he opens his mouth the country is coated with BS so its hard to believe anything from him...of course they could both be wrong.

[a977]

So O'l Fatty aka "foot in mouth" has struck again first he blame the Chinese for Phoenix sinking now he blame politics for the bombs.  Either he trying to find excuse to delay the election or he seriously is 2 bangers short of a BBQ, whatever the bloke should be put out to pasture sooner rather than later