Explosion At Pratunam

[filingaccount]

A bomb exploded in the Pratunam area earlier tonight (11 pm-ish).

Details are sketchy but quite a few cops showed up searching the area and interviewed witnesses. Reporters were on scene to document the incident.

I have attached a few images of the "aftermath".

[filingaccount]

A second explosion occurred at 01.37 am 2 October 2010.

The explosion was of similar (or same) strength of the first one.

I will NOT go back out this evening but wait until the "all clear" is made.

[onnut]

That's all we need!

Thanks for the report. Hope everyone is safe.

[filingaccount]

2 ambulances left the area in a hurry.

There might be injuries (or worse) from the second explosion.

There was quite a crowd earlier tonight.

Edited October 1, 2010 by filingaccount

[manarak]

dam_n... it seems like the first explosion lures the police and the second explosion is designed to hurt people.

[craigt3365]

Not much news on this yet. The Nation has some tweets, but that is it. Crazy....

[Tokay]

How did this not make major news?

[sbk]

[edwardandtubs]

It has been reported online in the newspaper that is not a sponsor of this forum. It was a grenade explosion.

Edited October 2, 2010 by edwardandtubs

[dominique355]

Every time there is talk about lifting the State of Emergency, (conveniently) a bomb blows up somewhere, usually not much harm but just enough to keep the State of Emergency.

If this SoE is unable to prevent all this IED, why keep it?

Somethings fishy here...

[Buchholz]

Police say grenade-incident due to personal conflict; Explosive not used by Thai military

BANGKOK, Oct 2 -- Police, noting that the Russian-design RDG-5 grenades not used by the Thai military, said that Saturday’s midnight bombing in Pratunam stems from a personal conflict, probably among teenagers.

Police and bomb disposal experts rushed to the verandah of the shophouse building near Pratunam intersection. The ground floor is a restaurant.

The verandah was slightly damaged after one grenade exploded in mid-air while the other, found on the verandah of the Krung Thai Bank, had its pin removed but failed to explode.

Bomb disposal experts later destroyed the dud bomb at the scene of the incident.

Acting Bangkok police chief Pol Maj Gen Chakthip Chaijinda told journalists that senior police officers met urgently after the incident and agreed that about two youths were involved and it had arisen from a personal conflict.

The bombers must have climbed to the verandah of a nearby building to throw them, Gen Chaktip said, but they missed and fell on a roof instead.

The bombs were of the RDG-5 type manufactured in Russia which are not imported or used by the Thai military, he said.

Gen Chakthip said police were investigating how the explosive was brought into Thailand.

-- TNA 2010-10-02

[Buchholz]

for the benefit of dyslexic MCOT editors, it's RGD-5 grenades

The distance the grenade can be thrown is estimated at 40-50 metres. An internal fragmentation liner generates approximately 350 fragments upon detonation. This grenade can inflict injuries out to 15 metres from the site of detonation. Victims caught within 3 metres of the detonation site are almost certain to be killed or severely wounded.

This grenade is still manufactured in Russia.