PM Prayut vows to quickly find bombers in Bangkok blast that killed at least 20

[webfact]

Thai PM vows to quickly find bombers in blast that killed 18
By ANUSONADISAI NATTASUDA and JOCELYN GECKER

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday promised that authorities would quickly track down those responsible for the central Bangkok bombing that killed at least 18 people and injured more than 100, which he described as the country's worst attack ever.

The defense minister, meanwhile, said officials had no prior intelligence about Monday's rush-hour bombing of a popular shrine at a hectic intersection. The blast from the improvised explosive device scattered body parts, spattered blood, blasted windows and burned motorbikes to the metal.

"This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said. "There have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for innocent lives. They want to destroy our economy, our tourism."

The explosion went off around 7 p.m. in an upscale area filled with tourists, office workers and shoppers.

Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the attack, which no one immediately claimed responsibility for, was aimed at destroying the country's economy by targeting a major tourist area.

"It is much clearer who the bombers are, but I can't reveal more right now," Prawit said, as he headed into a Cabinet meeting Tuesday morning. "We haven't ruled out terrorism."

He acknowledged that authorities had no idea an attack was planned.

"We didn't know about this ahead of time. We had no intelligence on this attack," the defense minister said.

Prayuth vowed to "hurry and find the bombers."

Video shortly after the blast showed a scene of shock and desperation: people running for their lives and crying amid the debris. An emergency worker in an ambulance, frantically pounding the chest of a victim.

National chief of police Somyot Poompanmoung said the perpetrators aimed to kill "because everyone knows that at 7 p.m. the shrine is crowded with Thais and foreigners. Planting a bomb there means they want to see a lot of dead people."

Early Tuesday morning, Somyot was among those surveying the damage as police and soldiers guarded the area, still littered with shattered glass and other debris. The normally busy intersection that was closed off to traffic and eerily empty aside from onlookers standing behind police tape to take pictures. Barricades were set up outside five-star hotels in the neighborhood and security stopped cars to inspect trunks before letting them pass.

More than 12 hours after the blast, onlookers dashed for safety as shards of glass torpedoed to the ground from windows of a nearby building. Nobody appeared to have been injured.

At least 18 people were confirmed dead and 117 injured, according to the Narinthorn emergency medical rescue center. China reported three of its citizens dead, and Somyot said a Filipino also was among those killed.

As a single, devastating blow to this Southeast Asian metropolis, Monday's bombing has no equal in recent history, though Thailand is no stranger to violent attacks. A more-than-decade-long insurgency by southern Muslim separatists has left more than 5,000 dead far from the capital. In Bangkok, politically charged riots centered on this very intersection in 2010 killed more than 90 over two months.

Police chief Somyot said the bomb was made with a pipe wrapped in cloth and weighed 3 kilograms (more than 6 pounds).

It detonated at the Erawan Shrine, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Brahma, but is extremely popular among Thailand's Buddhists as well as Chinese tourists. Although Thailand is predominantly Buddhist, it has enormous Hindu influence on its religious practices and language.

Throngs of tourists come there to pray at all hours, lighting incense and offering flowers purchased from rows of stalls set up on the sidewalk along the shrine. The site is a hubbub of activity, with quiet worshippers sometimes flanked by Thai dancers hired by those seeking good fortune, while groups of tourists shuffle in and out.

Bangkok has been relatively peaceful since a military coup ousted a civilian government in May last year after several months of sometimes violent political protests against the previous government. Anusit Kunakorn, secretary of the National Security Council, said Prime Minister Prayuth, the former army chief who orchestrated the May 2014 coup, was closely monitoring the situation.

At the same time, the military government has tightly controlled dissent, arresting hundreds of its opponents and banning protests. Tensions have risen in recent months, with the junta making clear that it may not hold elections until 2017 and wants a constitution that will allow some type of emergency rule to take the place of an elected government.

Stirring the pot has been exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. It was his sister Yingluck Shinawatra who was ousted as prime minister last year.

Last week, Thaksin posted a message on YouTube urging his followers to reject the draft constitution because he said it was undemocratic. The draft charter is supposed to be voted on next month by a special National Reform Council. If it passes, it is supposed to go to a public referendum around January.

Another source of recent tension is the annual military promotion list, with the junta's top two leaders — Prime Minister Prayuth and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit — widely believed to be supporting different candidates. The reshuffle, which comes into effect in September, has traditionally been a source of unrest, as different cliques in the army, usually defined by their graduating class in the military academy, seek the most important posts to consolidate their power.

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok issued an emergency message for U.S. citizens, advising them to avoid the shrine's area. In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby expressed deep sympathy to those affected by the Bangkok explosion. He said authorities were still determining whether any Americans were among the victims.

Tourists reacted with concern.

"We didn't think anything like this could happen in Bangkok," said Holger Siegle, a German who said he and his newlywed wife had chosen Thailand because it seemed safe. "Our honeymoon and our vacation will go on, but with a very unsafe feeling."

While bombings of this magnitude are rare in Bangkok, they are more common where Thailand's Muslim separatist insurgency has been flaring: in the country's three Muslim-majority provinces in the deep south.
___

Associated Press journalists Grant Peck, Jerry Harmer, Michael Rubin and Penny Yi Wang contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-08-18

[jerojero]

No, they want to kill innocent people!

[Jimlove]

Makes me wonder if they are gonna go for "the easy solution" (e.g. migrant workers) to make tourist feel safe or they are actually gonna get the real perps ... ?

[Lite Beer]

Prayut condemns bomb attacker a bad guy

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed to bring the culprit who he condemned as a bad guy responsible for the bomb explosion at Ratchaprasong commercial district for punishment as soon as possible.

He made the statement as security authorities have gained substantial evidence that included video footages that clearly showed the bomb suspect, looked alike an Arabian coming at the scene by a tuk tuk and hanged a shoulder bag at the fence near the Erawan shrine.

He acted as if he would take photographs at the shrine but left the shoulder bag on the fence and left.

After the cabinet meeting today, the prime minister however he did not say exactly the people who were responsible indicating it could be either local political conflict or international terrorism.

But he made clear that the person who did it was a bad guy who didn’t care about the lives of innocent people.

He asked the people not to panic but said the explosion would serve as a lesson for the government to come out with a new method to resolve the problem.

He urged for cooperation not to share unconfirmed reports on the social network as it could hurt the country’s economy and tourism.

He admitted that the explosion this time was the most serious and violent saying that in the violent cases, they intended to disturb peace and order of the country.

But this time, it intended only on lives of the people, he said.

Meanwhile Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan said security officials had initial information of the bomb suspect but declined to elaborate.

He was chairing a meeting of all security officials to assess the latest finding at the First Infantry Regiment to hunt down the suspect who was still in the country.

All airports in the country were placed on alert with security checks stepped up for those entering and leaving the country

Total deaths from the deadly explosion were 21, comprising 10 men, nine women and two children.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/prayut-condemns-bomb-attacker-a-bad-guy

-- Thai PBS 2015-08-18

[MaxLee]

But, but but.... social media is the most valued news in today's generation...... especially in exposing FACE......

[Lite Beer]

Attack worst tragic incident in Thai history: Prayut

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday there were two motives behind the bomb blast on Monday evening.

"The motives could be domestic politics and international conflicts. I have yet ruled out any possibilities," he said after having a conference meeting with security agencies at Government House.

However, he said he has yet concluded who are the perpetrators but it was the malicious act of bad people who never care about the loss of innocent victims.

"The incident was the worst ever [in Thailand] because it targeted innocent lives," he said.

He said security agencies had investigated pictures from circuit TV and found some suspects but it was not so clear.

Judging from initial report, PM said only one person could conduct the bomb blast by planting the bomb in a crowed area where there were many tourists so it was difficult to prevent it.

"It [the bomb] wanted to cause negative impact on social and economics," he said, adding that the perpetrators also used social media to spread rumours about the closure of financial institutes to attack economics.

He also ordered a summon to the person who posted on Facebook warning of violence in Bangkok during August 14-18 which he stated that the person was a member of anti-government group.

Asked if the suspected was an Uighur, the premier said, "I already told [you]. Why [you] need me to say clearly who did it. I don't know yet. We are chasing."

The blast site at Erawan shrine is popular with Chinese tourists and this raises at least the possibility of a connection to the Uighurs - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in the far west of China. Last month, Thai authority deported more than 100 Uighurs to China - a move that prompted widespread condemnation.

Prayut said he had sent condolence message to international leaders whose citizens were victims in the blast incident and insisted them that Thai government will find the perpetrators at the soonest and take care of their citizens as well as their embassies in Thailand at the best.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Attack-worst-tragic-incident-in-Thai-history-Prayu-30266834.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-18

[lildragon]

Did they ever find the Siam BTS bomber in the end? A place with thousands of witnesses and CCTV?

I hope this cowardly scum bag is actually caught ASAP.

[Charlie Croker]

The language used is both interesting and telling.

Its clear the perpetrators are not foreign

Prawit the defence minister has said, "we haven't ruled out terrorism".

As this is clearly terrorism this statement requires a better translation to explain what he means.

Domestic or foreign or domestic interests being addressed from outside Thailand.

I think the list of enemies of the state who would want to destabilize the economy are very small.

In recent years I can think of just one faction that has used this tactic to further their ambitions?

[worgeordie]

"We have not ruled out terrorists" surely anyone who plants a bomb with

the intention of killing people and causing damage is a terrorist.

Telling the authorities to find the bomber quickly,is maybe just playing into

the hands of finding a scapegoat.

regards worgeordie

[Cpkt8]

Everyone in Thailand to stay vigilant especially during times like this. May the culprit be caught asap.

Edited August 18, 2015 by Cpkt8

[Thai at Heart]

If this guy was a foreigner, I would suggest the odds of finding him are rather slim.

[clockman]

Knowing how easy it for criminals to leave Thailand. Good luck with that.

[webfact]

PM vows to hunt down culprits
The Nation

BANGKOK: - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday that there were two possible motives behind the bomb blast on Monday evening.

"The motives could be domestic politics or international conflicts. I have not yet ruled out any possibilities," he said, as he emerged from a conference meeting with security agencies at Government House.

He added that he had not yet reached any conclusions as to the identity of the perpetrators but the bombing was the action of bad people who did not care about the loss of innocent victims.

"The incident was the worst ever [in Thailand] because it targeted innocent lives," he said.

He said security agencies had investigated pictures from closed circuit TV and found some suspects but the picture was far from clear.

The PM said that from the initial reports, the placing of the bomb had been done by just one person and that, given the number of tourists visiting the shrine, it would have been difficult to prevent it.

"It aimed to have a negative impact on Thailand, both socially and economically," he said, adding that the perpetrators also used social media to spread rumours about the closure of financial institutes to attack the country's economy.

He also issued a summons for the person who posted on Facebook warning of violence in Bangkok during August 14-18, saying that this individual was a member of an anti-government group.

Asked if the suspect was an Uighur, the premier said, "I already told [you]. Why do [you] need me to say clearly who did it. I don't know yet. We are investigating."

The Erawan shrine is popular with Chinese tourists and this raises at least the possibility of a connection to the Uighurs - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in the far west of China. Last month, Thai authority deported more than 100 Uighurs to China, a move that prompted widespread condemnation.

Prayut said he had sent condolence messages to international leaders whose citizens were victims of the blast and assured them that the Thai government would find and punish the perpetrators. It would also take care of their citizens as well as their embassies in Thailand.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/PM-vows-to-hunt-down-culprits-30266834.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-18

[Eric Loh]

Hate to say that I have doubts that the authority can quickly find the perpectractor/s judging from the poor investigation of previous 3 bombings which till now have not yield any results. The CCTV identification is much too late to circulate to all exit points. By now, the suspect/s would have cross the border which is less than 3/4 hours from Bangkok.

[Colabamumbai]

Twenty hours later and they have hot air..

[Sparkles]

The only surprising thing for me its a wonder it hasn't happened before.In a city of 10 million people there are soft targets everywhere.

Those of us that have been through times like this before will remember that for a while security was ramped up at major shopping centres ,bag searches etc

but realistically if anyone wants to create mayhenm there is little to stop them.

Thankfully it was not the day before, Mothers Day,the streets would most likely have been more crowded with more casualties.

[shavedPotter]

My Thai wife said there was some talk on some Thai web boards prior to the blast warning to be careful. She found it odd as there were so many counter replies saying it was a happy time with the bike for mom event. In any case the same thing happened before other politically motivated bombs went off so you can connect the dots yourself who is likely behind it.

[oztaurus]

Depending on your definition of "innocent lives" .... which may differ from the PM's, I can think of several worse "incidents" in Thailand within living memory .....

[Jimlove]

"The incident was the worst ever [in Thailand] because it targeted innocent lives," he said.

Just hot-air ... Did he already forget about the Tsunami in 2004 ... ?

[NongKhaiKid]

It's understandable to say no effort is / will be spared to find those responsible but in LoS saying they will be tracked down quickly is a worry/

[Muirton]

If only the current administration had focused on a ban on bombs within a radius of 300 meters at all tourist attractions in the LOS.

[max72]

"The incident was the worst ever [in Thailand] because it targeted innocent lives," he said.

Just hot-air ... Did he already forget about the Tsunami in 2004 ... ?

Did he forget the horrible massacres in the past when the army killed hundreds of innocents students in the University ?

[max72]

Now they find scapegoats and execute them just like the two innocent Burmese of Koh Samui.

Always the same story.

[Fat Haggis]

"The incident was the worst ever [in Thailand] because it targeted innocent lives," he said.

Seriously this is the man many here see as a visionary?

Did he have his head up his rectum for the past 10 years with all the innocent lives having been taken down in the South? They target innocent lives week in week out you clown, did you forget you were head of the Army for a spell too, and were responsible for the South when innocent lives were lost due to terrorist acts of violence against innocents!!!

[dageurreotype]

Twenty hours later and they have hot air..

Why break the habit of a self imposed tenure?

[Fat Haggis]

My Thai wife said there was some talk on some Thai web boards prior to the blast warning to be careful. She found it odd as there were so many counter replies saying it was a happy time with the bike for mom event. In any case the same thing happened before other politically motivated bombs went off so you can connect the dots yourself who is likely behind it.

You mean like the face book pages that can't be corroborated as they've now disappeared? Funny coincidence that isn't it?

[Alwyn]

Prayuth condemns the attacker as a "bad guy"? err... well yeah..

[FangFerang]

The language used is both interesting and telling.

Its clear the perpetrators are not foreign

Prawit the defence minister has said, "we haven't ruled out terrorism".

As this is clearly terrorism this statement requires a better translation to explain what he means.

Domestic or foreign or domestic interests being addressed from outside Thailand.

I think the list of enemies of the state who would want to destabilize the economy are very small.

In recent years I can think of just one faction that has used this tactic to further their ambitions?

You are dead wrong, uninformed and slanderous. An Iranian blew his own legs off in Bangkok less than five years ago, and hurled bombs at passing cars.

I think he would qualify as an Arab looking man.

Knucklehead.

[Oziex1]

Did they ever find the Siam BTS bomber in the end? A place with thousands of witnesses and CCTV?

I hope this cowardly scum bag is actually caught ASAP.

What was the conclusion to the Samui bombing if any or it just quietly faded away.

[Srikcir]

The bombing was a political statement with religious overtones. It occurred in an area frequented by Chinese and Thai tourists. Yet the attack is out of character by Thai political factions and a country of Buddhists.

If one considers the Junta's ruthless deportation of the Uyghur men, women, and children migrants who were forceably returned to China recently to face potential torture and death, an attack on a Buddhist venerated Hindu shrine in an area visited by both Chinese and Thais, by a pro-Uyghurist might seem an equitable response.