Echoes Of Bangkok's New Year Blasts In 2007

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

Echoes of New Year blasts in 2007

By Avudh Panananda

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 2010-07-27

[Piengrudee]

The New Year 2007 blasts remain unsolved but were believed to be linked to a rift within the Army. - Nation.

[OzMick]

The New Year 2007 blasts remain unsolved but were believed to be linked to a rift within the Army. - Nation.

Believed - by whom? Rift in the army; not Seh Daeng by any chance? I can safely say that he had nothing to do with this one.

[OzMick]

double post

Edited July 27, 2010 by OzMick

[OzMick]

sorry, server problems

Edited July 27, 2010 by OzMick