Bangkok blast probe hindered by broken security cameras

[webfact]

Bangkok blast probe hindered by broken security cameras
NATTASUDA ANUSONADISAI
JOCELYN GECKER

BANGKOK (AP) — Up to 75 percent of the security cameras were broken along the getaway path taken by the main suspect in last week's deadly Bangkok bombing, Thailand's police chief said Monday, revealing a major obstacle to an investigation that has only fuzzy images of the still-unidentified man.

Investigators are trying to "put pieces of the puzzle together" but have had to use their imagination to fill holes left by cameras that failed to record his movements, said national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung, openly frustrated as he spoke to reporters one week after the blast.

"For example, the perpetrator was driving away — escaping — and there are CCTV cameras following him. Sometimes there were 20 cameras on the street but only five worked," Somyot said. "Fifteen were broken, for whatever reason, they didn't work."

"The footage jumps around from one camera to another, and for the missing parts police have had to use their imagination," he said. "We've had to waste time connecting the dots."

Another challenge is that investigators lack sophisticated equipment like police use on the popular TV crime series CSI to render blurry video clear, he said.

"Have you seen CSI?" Somyot asked reporters. "We don't have those things."

One week after last Monday's bombing at the capital's revered Erawan Shrine, which left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured, police appeared no closer to tracking down suspects or determining a motive for the attack.

Police have faced criticism for sending mixed messages and stating theories as if they were fact, only to later retract them.

Somyot said Monday that investigators were still trying to determine the suspect's nationality and whereabouts.

Asked if the suspect was still in Thailand, Somyot said, "I don't know."

"I still believe he is in Thailand because I have no evidence to confirm otherwise," he said. Over the weekend, police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri said he suspected the man may have left the country.

Police have released an artist's sketch of the suspect who was seen in security camera video from the open-air shrine leaving a backpack at a bench and walking away 15 minutes before the explosion. A separate camera showed the suspect, wearing a yellow T-shirt, on the back of a motorcycle taxi leaving the site.

Police have questioned a motorcycle taxi driver believed to have driven the suspect away. The driver told police the man handed him a piece of paper saying "Lumpini Park," the city's largest park which is near the shrine.

But none of the security cameras worked along the route to the park, Somyot said.

Police have tried to chase a report that after the suspect got off the motorcycle at the park, he went into a nearby hospital and changed into a grey T-shirt, Somyot said.

"We went to see if this is true and checked the CCTV cameras at Chulalungkorn Hospital. But we found that all the cameras were broken," he said, laughing nervously, and asking for understanding because police had been working nonstop and were tired.

"Since the bombing, we've barely slept," he said. "We're doing the best we can."

On Friday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he had received offers of assistance from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to help track down suspects and had assigned his deputy "to cooperate on borrowing equipment that includes facial-recognition technology."

However, Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job.

The attack has raised concerns about safety in the capital, which attracts millions of tourists, and has left the city on edge. Police have responded to several calls in the past week about unattended bags which turned out to be false alarms, and have tried to reassure the public and international community that Bangkok is safe.

On Monday, police said a worker digging at a construction site found a grenade buried in the ground and a police explosives squad was sent to defuse it. The grenade was found in a residential area far from the city center.

Police Lt. Sakon Rungkiatpaisarn said the grenade appeared to have been buried for a while and authorities "do not think it has anything to do with (last Monday's) bombing."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-08-24

[stubuzz]

"Have you seen CSI?" Somyot asked reporters. "We don't have those things."

[DLock]

You complete morons.

If the cameras aren't working or broken, it's you who are responsible for the failure, and the subsequent inability to catch this guy...

"I still believe he is in Thailand because I have no evidence to confirm otherwise," - but you don't know who he is, so how can you know if he's gone? Dumb.

"We went to see if this is true and checked the CCTV cameras at Chulalungkorn Hospital. But we found that all the cameras were broken," he said, laughing nervously, and asking for understanding because police had been working nonstop and were tired." - Please tell me you didn't just admit that.

"However, Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job." - ummmm...clearly they can't.

"Another challenge is that investigators lack sophisticated equipment like police use on the popular TV crime series CSI to render blurry video clear, he said." - you do realize that is a TV show, and the enhancement software doesn't really work like that right?

[Kannikapor88]

"Have you seen CSI?" Somyot asked reporters. "We don't have those things."

Cause the Money end up in someones pocket and their mia noi ...

[zaphod reborn]

"Since the bombing, we've barely slept," he said. "We're doing the best we can."

Somyot said Monday that investigators were still trying to determine the suspect's nationality and whereabouts.

Asked if the suspect was still in Thailand, Somyot said, "I don't know."

Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job.

Dear General, obviously they can't.

[doctormann]

They've never heard of 'Focus Magic' then?

This is an add-on for Photoshop that does a pretty respectable job of enhancing images that are fuzzy because they are out of focus. Also corrects for motion blur.

Of course, if the camera lenses are just covered in sh*t it might not work too well. Worth a try though!

DM

[Spleen]

"Since the bombing, we've barely slept," he said. "We're doing the best we can."

Somyot said Monday that investigators were still trying to determine the suspect's nationality and whereabouts.

Asked if the suspect was still in Thailand, Somyot said, "I don't know."

Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job.

Dear General, obviously they can't.

Brits offered expert help and were turned down, I think maybe they don't want to catch the fella , his motives may be an embarrassment. Did anyone read or post on here about the journalist on the scene a couple of days later finding ball bearings and shrapnel where the scene was cleared so quickly, I think they are very concerned about tourism, went in through DM on Friday expecting stringent passport checks and at least all baggage x -rayed. Instead smiling happy immigration man , no queues and waved through customs. Same coming back , I use my Singapore Employment pass to go through the ASEAN lane again big smile and not a word about me being a Farang

[PocoLoco]

I don't know if i have to cry or laugh about their utter incompetence.

I fear this will lead to even more bombings from radical groups, they can get away with anything.

[Nice Boyd]

Such Arrogance,We don't need No Stinking Badges from Any Country...

[DrTuner]

Hell will freeze over, thaw, be blasted into moon and assembled back together by red ants before Thais do any maintenance.

[Spleen]

I don't know if i have to cry or laugh about their utter incompetence.

I fear this will lead to even more bombings from radical groups, they can get away with anything.

Incompetence can be quite amusing at times ,however when I think about my kids living here in their later life its not quite so amusing

[EnglishJohn]

I expect all the funds for maintaining these cameras went into someones pockets instead.

I wonder what Thailand would be like by now if the peoples money actually went on improving the country instead of being skimmed away in graft by the privileged few.

[DavisH]

Isn't it better to ask others for help...and learn from them....and do it better next time? Rather than bumbling around the dark without a clue. There's nothing to lose now...face has already been lost.

[coulson]

However, Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job.

The refusal of help during the floods of 2011 led to the entire world witnessing that ridiculous boat fiasco, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Usernames]

I think the strategy is to try telling the world the bomb went off in Taiwan.

[davehowden]

Thailand, a complete and utter joke, far too nicer a place for dumb arsed Thais to inhabit.

Please, ban me so I cannot read all this shit anymore.

[tomacht8]

Up to 75 percent of the security cameras were broken.

Who is responsible for the safety technology?
Immediately dismissed.
Fire them!

[clockman]

Maybe because this is the land of fakes. The cameras were fake!

[ourmanflint]

Is there a word in the thai language for maintenance? Or is it always buy once and forget?

[tomacht8]

Maybe because this is the land of fakes. The cameras were fake!

Maybe the NACC should review the contracts for the purchase of CCTV technology.

Could be an other microphone -digital clock- body-bomb-scanner-firetruck-graft-corruption case?

[2alex4alex]

Thailand, a complete and utter joke, far too nicer a place for dumb arsed Thais to inhabit.

Please, ban me so I cannot read all this shit anymore.

Who makes you to read it? And asking for ban...Can't you just sign out? O.k., if Thais are "dumb arsed" you don't look brighter at all.

[thesetat2013]

Weren't these the same cameras that were supposed to have been fixed as well as replacing the dummy cameras with real ones a few months ago? What happened to that plan? Or the money that was supposed to get those fixed and replaced?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/723126-bma-no-more-dummy-surveillance-cameras-in-bangkok-100000-baht-reward-if/

So I guess in the past few months the cameras broke? Including their new special cameras they quoted about in the above article??? I guess nobody is supposed to remember.

Edited August 24, 2015 by thesetat2013

[Reigntax]

"Have to use their imagination to fill in the holes" so its the same as Koh Tao but wait, wasnt it announced that Thai investigators follow the same process as the British?

Its obvious that while they were supposed to be learning from CSI they were really watching Blackadder and Faulty Towers.

[bamnutsak]

Up to 75 percent of the security cameras were broken along the getaway path taken by the main suspect

Right in line with a typical Junta "poll".

[Thai at Heart]

Note to policeman. A car can go forwards backwards left or right. Fill in the gaps accordingly

[anto]

A cheap car dash cam would have far better images .Have they checked and replaced the cameras at the shrine yet ? ..i doubt it .

[MiKT]

John Johnson must be rolling his grave.

[HeijoshinCool]

"Since the bombing, we've barely slept," he said. "We're doing the best we can."

Well, you got some sleep on the night of the bombing, because you only worked a few hours until midnight, then came back at six a.m. to tidy up the crime scene.

However, Prayuth ruled out working with U.S. investigators, insisting Thais can do the job.

Subordinates have already expressed frustration and a lack of hope. They have openly admitted they do not have necessary technology.

It would be easy to retort that refusing help from abroad was because Face comes before results. But could there be another reason he does not want help from the USA?

Perhaps catching the serpent by the tail, would reveal the head of the snake ….

[taony]

Somyot, you are an embarrassment to your uniform. And that's no easy task. Be proud.

[JAG]

Thailand, a complete and utter joke, far too nicer a place for dumb arsed Thais to inhabit.

Please, ban me so I cannot read all this shit anymore.

Thailand is indeed a very nice place - far more often than it is not.

The Thai people are not "dumb arsed". For the most part I find them pleasant, cheerful if somewhat happy go lucky people. Personally I like to live amongst them.

They are spectacularly ill served by the people at the top in their society, by the heads of virtually all the public institutions, by those who run their education system, police force, military, judiciary and civil service. These people are selected from a very small pool, on the basis of their wealth and connections. They advance through patronage and corruption. The concepts of leadership, service and accountability are simply ignored. Merit simply does not come into the equation. They drip with medals, honours and titles which they award themselves. Face is all, image is supreme, personal enrichment their primary goal.

The top end of the system is rotten - put simply there is not enough chlorine in the gene pool. The people are becoming more and more aware just how rotten. Because the structure is rotten it will not survive if it is shaken. That shaking is coming. I hope and pray, and expect, that when the dust from its collapse clears something better will emerge.

But if you don't want any part of it, well then don't let the door hit your arse on the way out. Your problem - your solution!