Panitan believes Bangkok blasts masterminds were ‘insiders’

[rooster59]

Panitan believes Bangkok blasts masterminds were ‘insiders’

By The Nation

 

Image: Reuters

 

A security affairs expert and former adviser to the PM on security affairs believes the perpetrators of the multiple blasts in Bangkok on Friday morning had inside information about the government’s security affairs.

 

 

Panitan Wattanayagorn, a lecturer at Chualongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, said more than one person might have been involved in planning and ordering the bomb attacks.

 

He said the masterminds could be called “insiders” because they were apparently aware about the handling of security affairs by government agencies during the transitional period after the end of the rule of the junta -- the National Council for Peace and Order.

 

“The planners, who gave the orders, apparently knew about certain mechanisms well. For example, they knew about the handing over of areas and missions of the national peacekeeping force to the police,” Panitan said.

 

“This led to a vacuum because the withdrawal of troops of the peacekeeping force brought to a halt the use of Article 44 [of the post-coup charter] and led to troops ending their monitoring and pressuring those with the potential to engage in violence.

 

“The police have a working style different from that of the soldiers, or the police might not have started working to the full extent yet.”

 

Panitan said one factor that provided an opportunity for the bombers to launch the attacks was the large deployment of the police force for security at the venue of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bangkok.

 

Panitan said he believed the bomb attacks were likely planned for a long time and there might have been some trial runs to see if the bombers were well prepared before the attacks were launched when the masterminds saw a window of opportunity.

 

“They definitely knew about the internal affairs of the government well. In particular, they knew about the handing over of duties from the peacekeeping force. They knew about the change of command from the deputy prime minister to the prime minister.

 

“In other words, there were both changes of personnel and in the chain of command. More importantly, there was a change of government. Although the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and the interior minister continue in the new government, the situation has changed,” Panitan said.

 

In the new government, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha replaced General Prawit Wongsuwan as defence minister while Prawit became only a deputy PM. Prayut also replaced Prawit as the one supervising security affairs of both the Royal Thai Police and the Armed Forces.

 

Panitan said the incidents met all the textbook criteria of terror attacks.

 

“They were attacks based on the textbook to create public panic with the goal of embarrassing the government. The government immediately came under heavy pressure. Instead of proceeding with the task of ruling the country, the government would have to be worried about security,” Panitan said.

 

He said the government was lucky to have been able to arrest some suspects otherwise its credibility would have been severely dented.

 

Two men from Narathiwat province have reportedly been arrested for allegedly dropping two fake bombs in front of the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday evening before the five blasts in the capital on Friday morning.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30374151

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-03

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[Phuketshrew]

For their sake I hope that the ThreatScan device works better than the old GT200 ...

[RichardColeman]

14 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Two men from Narathiwat province have reportedly been arrested for allegedly dropping two fake bombs in front of the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday evening before the five blasts in the capital on Friday morning.

I know I can be sceptical, but two people being arrested for planting fake bombs seems a good excuse to plant live ones and blame it on the same group.

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, Phuketshrew said:

For their sake I hope that the ThreatScan device works better than the old GT200 ...

Where, oh where, has my golf ball gone?

(The origin of the GT200)

[Justgrazing]

This was timed to coincide with the Int' Security Conference held in the metropolis and to cause embarrassment to the Admin' .. The bluster they've come out with since say's that .. 

[Colabamumbai]

Politics at work in Thailand. 

[CeeGee]

“This led to a vacuum because the withdrawal of troops of the peacekeeping force brought to a halt the use of Article 44 [of the post-coup charter] and led to troops ending their monitoring and pressuring those with the potential to engage in violence.

Seems like someone has found a good excuse to reintroduce  Article 44!!!!!!

[Time Traveller]

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He said the masterminds could be called “insiders” because they were apparently aware about the handling of security affairs by government agencies during the transitional period after the end of the rule of the junta -- the National Council for Peace and Order.

Of course they did. False flag so the Military have an excuse to take over the country again.

[rwill]

And as I posted in another thread these seem to have been made fairly weak and placed to cause minimal damage.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the government was lucky to have been able to arrest some suspects otherwise its credibility would have been severely dented.

Which is an argument for the government (that has not for the last five years ever hesitated to arrest) to quickly find someone, anyone, as a scapegoat - "otherwise its credibility would have been severely dented."

Save Face First.

Worry about someone's innocence later, maybe after a little backroom "interrogation."

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

And as I posted in another thread these seem to have been made fairly weak and placed to cause minimal damage.

But maximum publicity... works every time.

[Gumballl]

It could have been the Australian guy; one day he wields a machete, the next day a jet ski. Maybe he's doing other stuff now to denigrate the farangs in Thailand.

[RotBenz8888]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

or the police might not have started working to the full extent yet.

So when will they start?

[timendres]

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

He said the masterminds could be called “insiders” because they were apparently aware about the handling of security affairs by government agencies during the transitional period after the end of the rule of the junta -- the National Council for Peace and Order.

 

“The planners, who gave the orders, apparently knew about certain mechanisms well. For example, they knew about the handing over of areas and missions of the national peacekeeping force to the police,” Panitan said.

 

“This led to a vacuum because the withdrawal of troops of the peacekeeping force brought to a halt the use of Article 44 [of the post-coup charter] and led to troops ending their monitoring and pressuring those with the potential to engage in violence.

Masterminds?! Good lord. This all could be coordinated by your typical high school student. They make it sound like some black op designed to take out the head of the CIA. It was a bunch of firecrackers set off at random public locations in a huge city. The timing had nothing more or less to do with than the ASEAN conference and making the current leadership look bad. The military and the police could have been warned ahead of time, and even given possible locations, and it likely still would have happened.

[Cadbury]

Nothing will happen until a handsome reward is offered.

Then the police will swing into action and nail some unfortunate illegal work immigrant and collect the reward for themselves. Then the strutting begins.

[bluesofa]

32 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Nothing will happen until a handsome reward is offered.

Then the police will swing into action and nail some unfortunate illegal work immigrant and collect the reward for themselves. Then the strutting begins.

Some sort of strutting like this:

 

[Redline]

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

 

 

“The police have a working style different from that of the soldiers

I think it’s called-avoidance of work at all costs 

[sunnyboy2018]

The phrase Agent Provocateur comes to mind. Just as the yellow shirt terror created an excuse for a coup so do bombs create an excuse for military intervention or use of authoritarian edicts. 

[jspill]

7/11 was an inside job