One Hurt In Bangkok Grenade Blast

[webfact]

One hurt in Bangkok grenade blast: police

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK (AFP) -- A grenade exploded Friday on a street in central Bangkok, leaving one person seriously hurt in the latest violence in the Thai capital which is still recovering from deadly protests, police said.

The grenade was put in a plastic rubbish bag and dropped in Rangnam road near a duty-free shopping centre, police said.

The injured person was a Thai man in his 30s who was searching for scrap when the blast occurred shortly after midnight.

"It was a hand grenade... The pin was removed and a rubber band wrapped around it," police Major General Vichai Sangparpai told local television.

The unnamed victim was in critical condition with shrapnel in his head, according to Rajavithi hospital where he was receiving treatment.

The blast came less than a week after a small bomb exploded at a Bangkok bus stop, killing one person and injuring 10 in an attack that rekindled tensions in the capital two months after the end of bloody street protests.

No one has claimed responsibility for either explosion, which risk delaying a recovery in the country's vital tourism industry.

About 90 people died and some 1,900 were injured in street clashes between armed troops and demonstrators during two months of mass protests by the anti-government "Red Shirts" that ended with a bloody army crackdown in May.

Deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he believed the grenade blast was politically motivated.

"It's regrettable that the bomber wanted to incite further unrest to show that the government cannot control the situation," he told reporters.

Suthep, who is in charge of security, said he instructed Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon to deploy police and soldiers to patrol the city streets.

He added that the blast showed the government still needed to maintain emergency rule in Bangkok and 10 other provinces, out of a total of 76.

"Core anti-government leaders are still inciting unrest," he said.

The latest explosion came hours after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced he was ending emergency rule in six provinces in central and northeast Thailand.

The government has come under pressure from the United States and rights groups to end emergency rule to help the country recover from deadly civil unrest that has left it deeply divided.

Authorities have used the powers -- introduced in Bangkok on April 7 -- to arrest hundreds of Red Shirt suspects and silence anti-government media.

The protests by the Reds, many of whom back fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, attracted up to 100,000 people demanding immediate elections.

Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon, was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 and lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a prison jail imposed in absentia for corruption.

The Reds, who hail Thaksin's policies for the poor, view the current government as elitist and undemocratic because it came to power after a court ruling threw out the previous administration.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2010-07-30

[seri thai]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

[dudopode]

Just heard it wont affect tourism

[dom samui]

VERY BURNING NEWS :More tourist expected to come this summer due to M79 and grenade blast shows around the country.Billions of baht coming from tourism business.

[warorot]

Just heard it wont affect tourism

no it wont... this is bangkok. this is thailand. invinisible. economic still going strong. tourism is still strong. at least, that's what i read a lot with the many postings here.

or maybe it's all denial. denial is the first of the four stages of grief.

[phuketrichard]

tourism is dead in Phuket expceptt for asians and many are on package tours so they leave no money

[BB1950]

or maybe it's all denial. denial is the first of the four stages of grief.

Probably why it's not in the Bangkok Post or The Nation, but being reported by an international chain.

[Payboy]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

They heard a snap before the explosion?

[MRCOCONUT]

YES I was thinking the same thing??? How do they know it had a rubberband arround it?

[webfact]

BOMB EXPLOSION

Blast hit Bangkok early Friday monring, injuring a man

A bomb exploded opposite of King Power firm in Soi Rangnam in Phaya Thai district early Friday morning, injuring a man.

The explosion happened at 1.30am in front of a house which is opposite the firm.

Police has not yet identified the injured man who was rushed to nearby Rajvithiee Hospital.

Police and rescue workers who rushed to the scene had to wait for 20 minutes before rescuing the man out of fear that there would be hidden explosives.

Police believed that the explosive was hidden in a plastic black bag in a garbage bin. The injured man was a trash collector, his three-wheeled vehicle was left parking near the bin.

Samruey Thopsak, 37, a taxi driver, said that he parked his car about 200 meters from the explosion site and he saw the flames of the explosion at a tree.

After the explosion, he alerted police.

-- The Nation 2010-07-30

[Just1Voice]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

Hummm, let's see, if I was the one who put it there, or the one who told someone to put it there, and how to do it, THEN I'd know it had a rubber band around it.

Otherwise the comment is pure stupid speculation.

[spiderleghead]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

coz everything sold in thailand has a rubber band around it

[webfact]

Bomb Attack in Area Near King Power Duty Free

At around 1:30 A.M. last night, authorities were informed that a bomb had exploded at a building directly across the King Power Duty Free Complex on Soi Rangnam in the Phayathai area, injuring one person. On site, police found a man around 30 to 40 years old who had been seriously injured from bomb shrapnel. Near the victim was a hold in the ground at the foot of a tree with shrapnel and remains of a black plastic bag.

Witnesses in the area say they saw a green and yellow taxi parked near the tree before the explosion took place. However, the taxi sped away right after the bomb exploded. Witnesses did not get a chance to notice the license plate on the vehicle.

After an initial investigation of the crime scene, authorities believe that the explosive used in the attack was a stick hand grenade which was planted around the tree trunk in a black plastic bag. The victim is believed to be a garbage collector who intended to look inside the plastic bag, which triggered the bomb to explode.

The victim was transported to Ratchavitee Hospital and remains in critical condition. As of 8:30 A.M. on Friday morning, he has not regained consciousness.

The blast comes on the heels of the government's decision to cancel the State of Emergency in six provinces. Ten provinces, including the capital of Bangkok and its metropolitan areas, remain under emergency decree.

-- Tan Network 2010-07-30

[junglist]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

its called a freudian slip.

[Portlandstone]

In both bomb attacks we see that the lower to lower-middle income people are being either intentionally targeted, or the result. Bus stops and trash bags. Really brave.

[Pib]

Bombs going off periodically and randomly in Bangkok can not be a good thing for tourism, especially for the "whole family" type tourism....Mom just ain't going to want to expose her kids to that potential danger.

[chiang mai]

tourism is dead in Phuket expceptt for asians and many are on package tours so they leave no money

Sorry but I don't see the same thing - I know of two five star hotels (200 plus rooms each) in Patong that are running over 100% occupancy and they're using other hotels for the overflow - Middle Eastern types are in abundance (it's the hot season there currently) - Japanese and Australians also plentiful.

[earthpig]

Both blasts in areas frequented by tourists, at least were frequented by them back in the good ole days when bangkok had tourists.

the objective of the bombers is beginning to emerge. tourists beware.

and where are the last tourists to be found, the never say die bangkok regulars?

the likes of patpong, nana, cowboy could be next.

[jayjay0]

Simply amazing how fast we change our attitude. Not one single post of concern for the victim. I personally wish him a speedy recovery.

It is amazing the lack of concern over two bombs or grenades in one week. People are more concerned about a statement that it had a rubber band around it than that it seriously injured some one. Yes indededo life in farong land can sure be disappointing.

[Moruya]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

its called a freudian slip.

The poor bugger who fished it out of the bin would have seen it.

[spiderleghead]

Simply amazing how fast we change our attitude. Not one single post of concern for the victim. I personally wish him a speedy recovery.

It is amazing the lack of concern over two bombs or grenades in one week. People are more concerned about a statement that it had a rubber band around it than that it seriously injured some one. Yes indededo life in farong land can sure be disappointing.

maybe coz the amount of times we here about this kind of thing makes more and more de-sensatized every time we here it. taking the focus away from the reality of the event and more onto the who-dunnit side, the lying official story side, the...... living in a really non ferringue little area, i see the thai people in my immediate area not being concerned at all by these bombings. try to talk about them and the immediate reaction is based upon the fact that we were lucky it wasn't our condo, or mai pen rai, or my personal favourite - which colour did it, depending on the current colour of the month - the purpatrators (can't spell today) are wearing different shirts.

it all becomes a topic of conversation instead of a topic of concern.

[waza]

Get well soon victim.

[harrry]

Surprising they did not blame a disgruntled British shopplifter with a grudge against King Power.

[dumball]

Do not worry folks , Thailand can attempt to hide all it likes to save its tourism which they constantly discount as bringing only 'Chicken feed ' into thier overall economy , Asia news will be on it like a ton of bricks as they were with the previous bomb . The typical "Ostrich' syndrom will be of no avail , as more and more of these incidents are becoming wide-spread across the world , the truth will out is an old adage I can recall , looks good on thier decietfull methods .

[Siripon]

Newin Chidchorp has a close relationship with King Power group.

[rubl]

Newin Chidchorp has a close relationship with King Power group.

Wondering about that. The two recent bomb blasts maybe against anti-red symbols. It's also possible that we will see the same at other areas where there were heavy clashes between reds and army/police. As usual no-one claims to have done this. In a way very clever, keeps people guessing and in suspense. These type of terrorist activities can also be very difficult to track. Don't expect results soon.

[RedNIvar]

How do they know it had a rubber band around it?

Rubber band, the Thai duct tape.

[Radicalguy]

I live a stones throw from King Power bldg. This was much more than just a Grenade. There was a Large fireball, and the explosion was so loud - It almost blew out the windows in my Condo. a tree was on fire, and several cars were damaged! My entire bldg and neighborhood was out on the street afterwards. Everyone in this neighborhood is freaking out! I could smell a burning gasoline like smell several minutes after the explosion. - Moron Thai cops cordoned off the area, and waited around for at least 30 minutes before they did anything. Not sure about the condition of the body they hauled away, but it seemed very dead to me.

[Familyonthemove]

Thanks for posting the on the spot news Radicalguy ....

Hope the poor, innocent guy is not as bady injured as he appeared to be.

I think we need to apply a 'downplaying factor' to official news reports:

'Large firecracker' = Handgrenade

'Hand grenade' = Bomb

.

[whatawonderfulday]

I love the comment " no one has claimed responsibility" ..... . Since when does any Thai accept responsibility for anything ? that's the problem they are all too busy with their heads in tha sand, or up some ones's back side that the rest of the world is passing them them by. They claim to be a proud nation yet how can they idly stand by when the entire world is laughing at their stupidity ?