US: Too early to consider bomb attack an act of terrorism

[dageurreotype]

It was being reported in a link to CNN tv via a Richard Barrow tweet that a second bomb had been diffused at the shrine just after the first bomb exploded. Why hasn't this been reported here? Or perhaps it has and simply been buried in the usual multifarious threads concerning a prominent news item. As per. In any case, if this is true, and CNN were live reporting it as such, then an 'act of terrorism' it surely is if it weren't plain before. The 'suspicious item' found today on Sumkhumvit is also worrying as it has been posited it may be a 'decoy' to lull people into a false sense of security before another 'real' one goes off. I believe this theory holds water, who carefully wraps a piece of rolled cardboard in plastic and duct tape just for the hell of it?

[HooHaa]

ironic coming from a country that screams terrorist every time an arab farts

[rijb]

Has the Thai government called it an act of terrorism, yet? I've only seen references to the 'bombing suspect'.

[sweatalot]

If anything, the silence from the persons behind this atrocity, is more terrifying than attacks where responsibility is claimed immediately. In terms of creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, this attack is more terroristic than many others I have seen where the attackers put their name to it immediately. The aftermath of somebody planting bombs anonymously and not saying why, is more terrifying to me than the claimed attacks. This would seem to be intentional, the creation of fear and uncertainty, and thus classic terrorism. It is only labels anyway, it doesn't change the situation on the ground at all.

Is it too far fetched if I say that this reminds me on the bomb and grenade attacks against protesters before the coup or during the failed coupe 2010?

[mojorison]

The ruling Junta clearly have the most to gain from this situation. Another 10 years of dictatorial rule. Anywhere in the (semi) civilized world Prayut would need to be answering many difficult questions. Simply saying "I told you 5 times I am not drunk" will not suffice. He is responsible in one way or another. Either directly for complicit and tacit approval or organization, or for his obstinate refusal to hold elections - (this probably would not have happened if a democratic government was in place), and at very least for the total lack of security that has been a hallmark of Bangkok for several years, that he should be protecting, and that he solely has taken upon himself to manage and administer To bring peace law and order... MY BIG FAT AR$E. He protects nothing other than his interests. No doubt this will be deleted by the mods. This forum has become a tool for the regime and nothing more This has gone on too long.

[mojorison]

Where does one find 3kg of TNT? It is ready made explosive. Labelled, tagged and traceable. It is not rocket science. This will be a very tricky cover up. Where do the 22 dead come from? Do you reckon the affiliated nations might be expecting some credible intel instead of the usual "when we say we lost it, we didn't mean we lost it... you took it out of context... " This won't work. The patsy line won't work. Prayut's going to take extreme heat. And rightly so.

[Aroi88]

A bomb that is planted in an area full of people going about their lives, killing 20 and injuring many, many more.

What else needs to happen for it to be considered terrorism?

Maybe NSA has oversight and knows more than meets our eyes.

[jeffrey18914]

IMO, This was a "Copycat" Bombing from a deranged fanboy of the Boston Marathon bomber DZhokhat Tsarnaev. Tsnanaev was recently condemned to death for the Boston bombing.

This Kid is using the same method of using a backpack explosive to gain approval toward Tsnanaev and the Muslim community

This pathetic Idiot has the same facial ethic features as the muslim country origin of Tsarnaev

He chose Thailand (largest mall and non muslim temple) to be his world stage

*I think the world intelligence should concentrate on Kyrgyzstan/ Chechnya

***BTW is there a rewards for leads?

Edited August 19, 2015 by jeffrey18914

[Spleen]

If anything, the silence from the persons behind this atrocity, is more terrifying than attacks where responsibility is claimed immediately. In terms of creating an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, this attack is more terroristic than many others I have seen where the attackers put their name to it immediately. The aftermath of somebody planting bombs anonymously and not saying why, is more terrifying to me than the claimed attacks. This would seem to be intentional, the creation of fear and uncertainty, and thus classic terrorism. It is only labels anyway, it doesn't change the situation on the ground at all.

If its the Uighur's or Wiggers to use the correct pronunciation, They wouldn't claim it , I would think. China are not renowned for their sensitivity with this sort of thing and I'd say there would be a distinct possibility they would go to town, probably Xingyang Town and give the wiggers a good thrashing

[MaxYakov]

Maybe they'll label it "worship place violence"?

[mojorison]

IMO, This was a "Copycat" Bombing from a deranged fanboy of the Boston Marathon bomber DZhokhat Tsarnaev. Tsnanaev was recently condemned to death for the Boston bombing.

This Kid is using the same method of using a backpack explosive to gain approval toward Tsnanaev and the Muslim community

This pathetic Idiot has the same facial ethic features as the muslim country origin of Tsarnaev

He chose Thailand (largest mall and non muslim temple) to be his world stage

*I think the world intelligence should concentrate on Kyrgyzstan/ Chechnya

***BTW is there a rewards for leads?

Your use of evidence and thought process is flawless.

[PM1]

To early son wel lets wait for the second strike shall we

You can declare it all then dummys

[hawker9000]

Do the USA have a different definition for terrorists to everyone else?

Well, the vast majority of Americans really don't. It's just that the prez & his stooges do.

[Overandout]

To be fair to the US spokesperson, "terrorism, in most dictionaries, includes the qualification that the act has the aim of acheiving a goal (either political, idealogical or religious).

Given that we don't know who did it or why, no-one can absolutely say that it fits into this category.

If there is no known goal, it is simply an act of mass murder.

[Michael8511]

Anti, it's a very bad comment "it's not only Thais that are stupid" if you are the bright one with the crystal boll why don't you solve this case then.

[SaamBaht]

To early son wel lets wait for the second strike shall we

You can declare it all then dummys

The statement was made just hours after the bombings. There was little information at the time other than there was an explosion. Now, three days later, there is much evidence.

[anto]

Anti, it's a very bad comment "it's not only Thais that are stupid" if you are the bright one with the crystal boll why don't you solve this case then.

Are you stupid ?..I said in brackets that i did not think Thais are stupid .

[retarius]

There are complications here. One does not know how to designate this attack from a US perspective, as the State Dept need to assess what is in their interest. Just as the coup in Egypt wasn't really a coup in the eyes of America, so some other term is needed to identify the event....soem thing that will further US interests in the region. After that some focus groups are needed to identify what to call the perp. Just calling him a terrorist won't do....some terrorists such as those in Syria setting off bombs indiscriminately in Damascus are called 'rebels' which is a friendlier term and now it emerges that they are the 'good guys' and so the term rebel helps to differentiate them from another group operating in the same war zone....i.e. ISIS.

It is likely that the US will see this as the work of Putin who is jealous of the fact that Russians can no longer come to Thailand on holiday due to the fall of the rouble, and just as their mafias were making it the perfect place to be boorish. That now falls to the Chinese and Russian prestige is being literally ripped down and replaced with Chinese language menus and stuff.

So just wait a bit and the US will amaze the world and give it a name suitable to the best interests of Uncle Sam.

[Horseswild]

Hmm...Maybe they see it as petty larceny of human life, unless proven otherwise...Odd, because the Boston bombs were immediately identified as terrorist acts!

[billd766]

seems to be yet another fail by Thai press

Here is what the US spokesperson said

http://nwnt.prd.go.th/centerapp/Common/GetFile.aspx?FileUrl=~/Uploads/Image/2558/08/18/PNPOL580818001006506.png

quote from the OP and not from the White House Press Secretary

"Spokesperson for the US Department of State, John Kirby said it is too early to tell whether the incident was conducted out by terrorists, adding that Thai authorities have been conducting their own investigations and have yet to ask the United States for assistance."

Why Should they ask for assistance from the USA, UK, EU et al?

Edited August 20, 2015 by billd766

[LarryBird]

Why Should they ask for assistance from the USA, UK, EU et al?

Why on Earth wouldn't they? It would be an incredibly humble and honorable act to say 'We don't have the best response team in place for something like this, we could use the assistance of another country with more experience and resources.' Why would you expect Thailand to have the best team in place for this type of investigation?

FWIW, I think the statement of the US saying they are not ready to call this a terrorist act perhaps means that they are not sure if it is connected to a larger organization. Personally I think it's a bizarre statement, but whatever. They don't have to call in the American's, call in Scotland Yard, or some other organization.. The situation is extremely important, and the world is watching.

[bamnutsak]

Nearly every top Junta/Police have been saying the same thing, that this is not international terrorism, but rather an internal conflict, over the past two days.

The U.S. comments simply reinforce the Thai party line.

Continue bashing.

[LarryBird]

How can the US say if it is domestic or international?

[Mackie]

The US statement is a complete idiocy. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2331 18 U.S. Code § 2331 - Definitions ...It appears that those idiots don't know what an act of terror means. Unless the US officials view the perpetrators as freedom fighters. Don't get me wrong, but sometimes U.S foreign policy makers do support terrorists in order to achieve their geostrategic goals.

[rijb]

There are complications here. One does not know how to designate this attack from a US perspective, as the State Dept need to assess what is in their interest. Just as the coup in Egypt wasn't really a coup in the eyes of America, so some other term is needed to identify the event....soem thing that will further US interests in the region. After that some focus groups are needed to identify what to call the perp. Just calling him a terrorist won't do....some terrorists such as those in Syria setting off bombs indiscriminately in Damascus are called 'rebels' which is a friendlier term and now it emerges that they are the 'good guys' and so the term rebel helps to differentiate them from another group operating in the same war zone....i.e. ISIS.

It is likely that the US will see this as the work of Putin who is jealous of the fact that Russians can no longer come to Thailand on holiday due to the fall of the rouble, and just as their mafias were making it the perfect place to be boorish. That now falls to the Chinese and Russian prestige is being literally ripped down and replaced with Chinese language menus and stuff.

So just wait a bit and the US will amaze the world and give it a name suitable to the best interests of Uncle Sam.

Aren't you embarrassed to write drivel like this?

The NCPO has ruled out international terrorism. They say it was more likely organized crime.

[rijb]

The US statement is a complete idiocy. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2331 18 U.S. Code § 2331 - Definitions ...It appears that those idiots don't know what an act of terror means. Unless the US officials view the perpetrators as freedom fighters. Don't get me wrong, but sometimes U.S foreign policy makers do support terrorists in order to achieve their geostrategic goals.

The idiocy is all yours, for taking anything verbatim from the Thai news.

Following is from a daily press briefing on August 17 (use a calendar is you need help with that) shortly after the attack.

QUESTION: A follow-up on Thailand. So you said you express your sympathy for the Bangkok explosion. So so far you don’t see that as a terror attack?

MR KIRBY: I think it’s too soon to tell, honestly, and Thai authorities are investigating this. We don’t have any information right now that would lead us to be able to describe the cause here, or if – and if an entity is responsible and who that entity might be. We’re just not there yet.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/08/246157.htm

[Baerboxer]

The ruling Junta clearly have the most to gain from this situation. Another 10 years of dictatorial rule. Anywhere in the (semi) civilized world Prayut would need to be answering many difficult questions. Simply saying "I told you 5 times I am not drunk" will not suffice. He is responsible in one way or another. Either directly for complicit and tacit approval or organization, or for his obstinate refusal to hold elections - (this probably would not have happened if a democratic government was in place), and at very least for the total lack of security that has been a hallmark of Bangkok for several years, that he should be protecting, and that he solely has taken upon himself to manage and administer To bring peace law and order... MY BIG FAT AR$E. He protects nothing other than his interests. No doubt this will be deleted by the mods. This forum has become a tool for the regime and nothing more This has gone on too long.

A tinfoil hatter.

Puts a whole new meaning on the expression "mad as a hatter".

[Mackie]

The US statement is a complete idiocy. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2331 18 U.S. Code § 2331 - Definitions ...It appears that those idiots don't know what an act of terror means. Unless the US officials view the perpetrators as freedom fighters. Don't get me wrong, but sometimes U.S foreign policy makers do support terrorists in order to achieve their geostrategic goals.

The idiocy is all yours, for taking anything verbatim from the Thai news.

Following is from a daily press briefing on August 17 (use a calendar is you need help with that) shortly after the attack.

QUESTION: A follow-up on Thailand. So you said you express your sympathy for the Bangkok explosion. So so far you don’t see that as a terror attack?

MR KIRBY: I think it’s too soon to tell, honestly, and Thai authorities are investigating this. We don’t have any information right now that would lead us to be able to describe the cause here, or if – and if an entity is responsible and who that entity might be. We’re just not there yet.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2015/08/246157.htm

For heaven's sake., then there is no any difference between them and you. Let me break it down into very simple terms. The moment the bomb explodes in the public place killing innocent people it's an act of terrorism. Do I need to draw a diagram?

[Pimay1]

John Kirby said it is too early to tell whether the incident was conducted out by terrorists

He didn't want to upset his new boss.

[dino67]

Maybe it will be branded 'workplace' violence from the Obama administration.

Call it anything you want just don't link it to Islam.