Small Bomb Explodes In Bangkok Outside Labour Ministry

[webfact]

Small bomb explodes outside Labour Ministry

By The Nation

A homemade bomb exploded inside a post box in front of the Labour Ministry yesterday, without hurting anybody but causing some minor property damage.

Police identified the explosive as a pingpong bomb and did not rule out the possibility that it was politically motivated. Two senior police commanders said these small explosives were usually used to make loud bangs during festivities.

Citing a witness, police said a motorcycle carrying two young men was seen parked near the post box and that they disappeared after the blast. The only detail about the pair is that they were on a redandblack motorbike with automatic transmission.

Three letters were found in the post box, with one addressed to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the content of which the police did not reveal; another to a business; and the last a postcard.

Din Daeng police have taken possession of the letter to the prime minister and refused to hand it over to the crimescene team to look for fingerprints.

Meanwhile, firms selling chemicals and materials that could be used to make bombs need to notify the police before making any sales, the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation said yesterday. CRES spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the centre had detected and received reports of unusually frequent movement of such materials in the past few weeks.

In a related report, the National Intelligence Agency has advised the public to exercise caution on November 13, which would mark the sixmonth anniversary of the shooting of redshirt leader and former Army specialist Khattiya Sawasdiphol, and November 19, six months after the redshirt mob was dispersed.

In addition, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has arrested two men in possession of a number of military weapons possibly stolen last month from an Army depot in Lop Buri. In a recent sting operation, DSI agents nabbed Army's Directorate of Ordnance employee Sakchai Lertsathian and Master Sergeant Third Class Kajornphan Sawangphong for selling them RPG (rocketpropelled grenade) launchers, a 60mm mortar and several M16 barrels for Bt80,000. A third suspect, Theerawut Satthabun, was arrested after the sting.

The DSI is on the hunt for a fourth suspect, Nopphadol Phingkhasan, DSI directorgeneral Tharit Phengdit said.

After meeting with the CRES yesterday, Abhisit summoned police chief Wichean Potephosree and Tharit for a closeddoor meeting.

-- The Nation 2010-11-06

[asiawatcher]

Ongoing nuisance attacks by idiots.

[whybother]

Ongoing nuisance attacks by idiots.

No. Red shirts aren't implicated in this one yet ...

[Robby nz]

Or a new bomb factory doing a small product evaluation test.

First since the old factory blew up with the demise of the bomb maker.

Not difficult to work out where the previous (daily) bombs came from.

[tomyummer]

The thing that really sucks is....if there is any mail in the mailbox, does it still get delivered?

[whybother]

The thing that really sucks is....if there is any mail in the mailbox, does it still get delivered?

There were 3 peices of mail. Only one won't be delivered, but I'm sure the recipient already knows what it says, even if the newspaper doesn't ... yet.

[rreddin]

Ongoing nuisance attacks by idiots.

This from the OP is worrying:

"In addition, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has arrested two men in possession of a number of military weapons possibly stolen last month from an Army depot in Lop Buri. In a recent sting operation, DSI agents nabbed Army's Directorate of Ordnance employee Sakchai Lertsathian and Master Sergeant Third Class Kajornphan Sawangphong for selling them RPG (rocketpropelled grenade) launchers, a 60mm mortar and several M16 barrels for Bt80,000. A third suspect, Theerawut Satthabun, was arrested after the sting."

This is a serious issue, so why bury it as a make weight for an unrelated story? It should be a major story in its own right. The usual poor journalism - trying to make three separate matters into one story.

[phiphidon]

Ongoing nuisance attacks by idiots.

This from the OP is worrying:

"In addition, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has arrested two men in possession of a number of military weapons possibly stolen last month from an Army depot in Lop Buri. In a recent sting operation, DSI agents nabbed Army's Directorate of Ordnance employee Sakchai Lertsathian and Master Sergeant Third Class Kajornphan Sawangphong for selling them RPG (rocketpropelled grenade) launchers, a 60mm mortar and several M16 barrels for Bt80,000. A third suspect, Theerawut Satthabun, was arrested after the sting."

This is a serious issue, so why bury it as a make weight for an unrelated story? It should be a major story in its own right. The usual poor journalism - trying to make three separate matters into one story.

Unless it is an old story. When Gen. Anupong was still around he admitted (on September 20th) that 30 RPG rounds had been stolen from Lop Buri over a week beforehand but the Army was tracking their whereabouts. He reckoned that identifying the suspects would take about 6-8 days. I have not seen any other news stories regarding newer thefts of arms from Lop Buri since then. We can only assume that they have now found the missing rounds and having found out who did it, have arrested them. So likely an update on an old story, but with the Nations usual propensity to link two disparate stories under the same banner headline for reasons best known to themselves (but more than likely to make a relatively mundane story sexier).

Interestingly enough, the other paper has a quote form the Met police Chief saying that the "bomb" was a firecracker dropped in the mailbox by teenagers and is not politically connected. They name names so I am more inclined to believe their version than a story in the Nation attributed to unnamed police "sources". Another non story designed to keep people on edge.

[rubl]

Three letters were found in the post box, with one addressed to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the content of which the police did not reveal; another to a business; and the last a postcard.

Although PM Abhisit may get hundreds of letters every day, it does seem a bit of a coincidence to have one in a letterbox which got a cracker shoved into it.

Wonder about the contents

Edited November 6, 2010 by rubl