Thai military says global terror link 'unlikely' in bombing
NATTASUDA ANUSONADISAI, Associated Press
JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's military junta said Thursday that this week's deadly bombing in downtown Bangkok that killed 20 people was "unlikely" to have been carried out by international terrorists.

Military spokesman Col. Winthai Suvaree also said that Chinese tourists, who were among the victims, were not the "direct target."

"The security agencies have collaborated with intelligence agencies from a lot of countries and have come to the same preliminary conclusion that the incident is unlikely to be linked to international terrorism," he said in a televised statement.

Winthai did not give any details on how authorities reached this conclusion, which raised questions after police issued an arrest warrant for the prime suspect, describing him as an unidentified "foreign" man.

At least 20 people were killed and more than 120 injured in Monday evening's blast at the Erawan Shrine, a popular tourist site that is known to attract Chinese visitors. Four Chinese citizens were among the dead.

A manhunt was underway for a man shown in a security video leaving a backpack at a popular Bangkok shrine just minutes before a bomb exploded there. Police released a sketch of the man on Tuesday depicting a young man wearing glasses, and the arrest warrant described him as a man with black, bushy hair, fair complexion with a prominent nose and thick lips.

Authorities have offered a 1 million baht ($28,000) reward for information leading to his arrest.

Two other people seen on the video near the man are also considered suspects in Monday's deadly bombing, police said late Wednesday.

The grainy security video shows the man, wearing a yellow T-shirt and shorts, sitting down on a bench at the shrine, taking off a black backpack and leaving it behind as he stands up and walks away. Time stamps show he left the shrine 15 minutes before the explosion, which struck just before 7 p.m.

The two possible accomplices are seen standing in front of the man, said police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri. One of the men was wearing a red shirt and the other was in white, and they were seen leaving the area shortly before the man in yellow also leaves.

At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man's origin, saying the suspect "looks like a foreigner" but "might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose" to conceal his identity.

He faces six charges including conspiring to commit premeditated murder and conspiring to commit a bombing that resulted in death and severe injuries.

Prawut told reporters Wednesday night that police would continue to scrutinize closed-circuit TV footage of the area from before the blast for clues about suspects. He said that if the men in red and white shirts were innocent and aware of the suspicions against them, they should report to police.

Two days after the attack, which authorities have called the worst in Thai history, the shrine reopened to the public. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast at one of the capital's busiest intersections during evening rush hour.

The attack has raised concerns about safety in a city that draws millions of tourists.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha "is worried about the security of people and tourists in Thailand," the police chief said.

Prayuth has called the attack "the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand" and vowed to track down those responsible.

Thai authorities identified six victims as Thai and four as Malaysians, along with four Chinese, two people from Hong Kong including a British citizen, one Indonesian and one Singaporean. Two victims remain unidentified.

A funeral was held Wednesday for 45-year-old Waraporn Changtam, one of the victims of the bombing. Her grieving older sister, Sawaros Kumrit, had a message for those responsible for the blast.

"I don't know who you are mad at, but don't take it out on my family," she said, adding that those killed by the bomb "were good people. They were innocent."

Bangkok has seen politically charged violence in the past decade. The deadliest, in 2010, killed more than 90 people in two months and was centered on the same intersection where Monday's bomb went off. But none of those attacks included a bomb that seemed intended to produce mass casualties.
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This story has been corrected to show that the comments about the suspect possibly wearing a disguise were made by the police spokesman, not the police chief.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-08-20

Arab-like looking Thai?

I hear they are complaining about false rumors being spread around in social media, but before they start complaining about others, maybe they should stop spreading rumors themselves. It`s so much better they don`t say anything other than what is vital information and with certainty provided by actual evidence. Everything else is police work, not the citizens, so keep it to yourself. The point is NOT to help the suspects, just saying.

They are making themselves look like amateurs and fools.

Edited August 20, 201511 yr by HOAX

rumors -

but why should international terrorists target Thailand?

They also said there was no Military personnel involved in human trafficking.

but why should international terrorists target Thailand?

same reason they do in other countries.. headline grabbing for starters, spark fear and unrest, looking at the broader and bigger picture of Thailand cozying up to China.

rumors -

but why should international terrorists target Thailand?

Do you not know about the 100 Uighurs Muslims that were deported to China!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-10/thai-embassy-closed-in-turkey-after-uighur-protests/6612012

If its now considered,yet again,homegrown, why are they asking Interpol for assistance?

I am guessing, what the Thai officials are trying to say, and falling short in explaining, is that they consider it unlikely the bomber(s) are connected to one of the major terror groups, such as ISIS, AL Qaeda, Al Shabab, Boko Haram, etc.

The Junta is going to spin and spin until they can pin it on the red shirts.

I would more likely attribute it to Suthep and his minions in order to get things stirred up again.

He won't be happy until he is PM of an empty and bankrupt country.

Arab-like looking Thai?

I hear they are complaining about false rumors being spread around in social media, but before they start complaining about others, maybe they should stop spreading rumors themselves. It`s so much better they don`t say anything other than what is vital information and with certainty provided by actual evidence. Everything else is police work, not the citizens, so keep it to yourself. The point is NOT to help the suspects, just saying.

They are making themselves look like amateurs and fools.

But thats what they are!

A foreigner let's off a bomb in Bangkok but this isn't international terrorism???

I always thought Thais had a different logic, but this really baffles me...

Pull the intrigue back to Thailand fella's, it's all there, all you have to do is find it , the best choice is the other two , go for them, they stand out like a shit house in the desert, the guy with the yellow shirt could be a another colour shirt, he certainly has been to make up , good luck.

At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man's origin, saying the suspect "looks like a foreigner" but "might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose" to conceal his identity.

Yes, this is normal SOP's for terrorists...wearing a fake nose.. Prawut is wearing Coco the clowns nose, what an incredibly stupid thing to say!!

Guys next time you're dragged out shopping, take your time to start looking for fake noses and disguises, unfortunately the RTP will be the biggest culprits, as they've been disguised as a competent police force for decades!!

How in Gods name could he really come away with that fake nose comment ? The place was chokka full of tourists, at night, is it normal and natural for people to stare at other people to see if they're wearing disguises or not? Most people wouldn't notice a bleeding thing at a tourist attraction at night time, in less than perfect lighting conditions.

Once again the RTP seem unable to keep their own stupid thoughts out of their statements released to the public!!

If it was international terrorists then they would likely have claimed responsibility by now. They might have also gotten a lot more international attention from other targets such as the US embassy which is not far from the location of this attack.

My bet is that it was politically motivated. But with the BIB running the show it is unlikely the truth will ever come out. They still haven;t caught the last 2 guys that planted bombs near Siam. Doubt they will catch these guys too.

Terrorists don't always claim responsibility, and other have made such claims despite them not being involved.

What makes you think someone hasn't already informed the "powers that be" it was them?

Lets think about this.. "Junta spokesperson has said that a group from Galactica has claimed responsibility, stating they were trying to ruin the Junta and it's economy, through tourism, and kill those who supported the acts against Galactican's in recent weeks"

or " We don't believe there was any external faction involved in the recent attack, and that it was a domestic issue"

Which one of the above statements is detriment to the economy and tourism?

Terrorists don't always claim responsibility, and other have made such claims despite them not being involved.

What makes you think someone hasn't already informed the "powers that be" it was them?

Lets think about this.. "Junta spokesperson has said that a group from Galactica has claimed responsibility, stating they were trying to ruin the Junta and it's economy, through tourism, and kill those who supported the acts against Galactican's in recent weeks"

or " We don't believe there was any external faction involved in the recent attack, and that it was a domestic issue"

Which one of the above statements is detriment to the economy and tourism?

The second statement would worry me more as someone wanting to visit the country.

At least with the first statement they have a starting point (as unlikely as it may be). With the second, they are admitting they don't know anything by their lack of belief.

well this about sums thing up really when you read comments from the P.M .....

At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man's origin, saying the suspect "looks like a foreigner" but "might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose" to conceal his identity.....................wowww so now we must look for farangs with a fake nose ......what planet dose this guy come from ...serious its time for him to be posted to a inactive post ...... say as a traffic warden ........ shit the price of eggs is going to hit the roof pretty soon ....

Terrorists don't always claim responsibility, and other have made such claims despite them not being involved.

What makes you think someone hasn't already informed the "powers that be" it was them?

Lets think about this.. "Junta spokesperson has said that a group from Galactica has claimed responsibility, stating they were trying to ruin the Junta and it's economy, through tourism, and kill those who supported the acts against Galactican's in recent weeks"

or " We don't believe there was any external faction involved in the recent attack, and that it was a domestic issue"

Which one of the above statements is detriment to the economy and tourism?

The second statement would worry me more as someone wanting to visit the country.

At least with the first statement they have a starting point (as unlikely as it may be). With the second, they are admitting they don't know anything by their lack of belief.

Maybe how you would view it Chris, but how many have been put off with these domestic attacks that have happened since the Junta came to power?

It doesn't seem to worry anyone else, as the Junta keep claiming that tourist numbers are up, and continually rising, so domestic terrorism hasn't caused a drop at all, Siam Paragon, Koh Samui bombing have had zero effect on tourism... wouldn't you find that a little bit odd then based on your own concerns if you wanted to visit?

Both statements should be a cause for concern, but you hit the nail on the head, as they really don't know anything as there's not a decent copper capable of gathering such forensic evidence, that never bought his way to the position.

At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man's origin, saying the suspect "looks like a foreigner" but "might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose" to conceal his identity.

Yes, this is normal SOP's for terrorists...wearing a fake nose..

If he indeed was a professional terrorist he would know he was on candid camera at that location, and I doubt he would be proud about, so maybe he would disguise himself.

Terrorists don't always claim responsibility, and other have made such claims despite them not being involved.

What makes you think someone hasn't already informed the "powers that be" it was them?

Lets think about this.. "Junta spokesperson has said that a group from Galactica has claimed responsibility, stating they were trying to ruin the Junta and it's economy, through tourism, and kill those who supported the acts against Galactican's in recent weeks"

or " We don't believe there was any external faction involved in the recent attack, and that it was a domestic issue"

Which one of the above statements is detriment to the economy and tourism?

The second statement would worry me more as someone wanting to visit the country.

At least with the first statement they have a starting point (as unlikely as it may be). With the second, they are admitting they don't know anything by their lack of belief.

Maybe how you would view it Chris, but how many have been put off with these domestic attacks that have happened since the Junta came to power?

It doesn't seem to worry anyone else, as the Junta keep claiming that tourist numbers are up, and continually rising, so domestic terrorism hasn't caused a drop at all, Siam Paragon, Koh Samui bombing have had zero effect on tourism... wouldn't you find that a little bit odd then based on your own concerns if you wanted to visit?

Both statements should be a cause for concern, but you hit the nail on the head, as they really don't know anything as there's not a decent copper capable of gathering such forensic evidence, that never bought his way to the position.

Were there tourists killed in the previous attacks?

rumors -

but why should international terrorists target Thailand?

Even if ISIS flags had been flown at the site of the explosion there would be denial of an international terrorism link because foreign govts. and tourists in general would be less worried about some isolated local incident directed at the Thai junta than anything of a grander international scale aimed at westerners.

well this about sums thing up really when you read comments from the P.M .....

At a news conference, Prawut expressed uncertainty about the man's origin, saying the suspect "looks like a foreigner" but "might have been in a disguise and wearing a fake nose" to conceal his identity.....................wowww so now we must look for farangs with a fake nose ......what planet dose this guy come from ...serious its time for him to be posted to a inactive post ...... say as a traffic warden ........ shit the price of eggs is going to hit the roof pretty soon ....

He touched all the bases and left the door open for whomever they "select" as the perp.

I'm trying to give them the benefit of doubt, as the world is watching, but there's such little info that how can they come to that conclusion? Or, because they said "unlikely" that they've given themselves a way out if the culprits are or not part of the bad guys from abroad.

Same as the other high profile case, ppl just saying stuff on a daily basis that either has not been confirmed or extremely vague.

They also said there was no Military personnel involved in human trafficking.

but why should international terrorists target Thailand?

same reason they do in other countries.. headline grabbing for starters, spark fear and unrest, looking at the broader and bigger picture of Thailand cozying up to China.

Does this mean that international agencies told them there in no foreign involvement, Khun Obama CIA do this, No dont worry just open everything bussines as usual, but don't forget to collect shrapnel from BBC>