Bangkok Bombing Dragnet Yields 142 Unrelated Arrests

By Khaosod English


A formal ceremony and parade kicked off "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nest" on Sunday, two days after it began and a day before it ended. The massive operation failed to net any suspects related to last week's bomb attack, but led to the arrest or detention of 142 people for unrelated offenses.

BANGKOK: -- A formal ceremony and parade kicked off "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nest" on Sunday, two days after it began and a day before it ended. The massive operation failed to net any suspects related to last week's bomb attack, but led to the arrest or detention of 142 people for unrelated offenses.

BANGKOK — A massive operation launched by police to find the perpetrator behind last week’s deadly bombing has netted 142 people on unrelated crimes, while the bomber and possible accomplices remain elusive.

On Friday, four days after an explosion at the Erawan Shrine killed 20 people, police announced with much fanfare the beginning of "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nests,” with the objective of “X-raying” potential residences that might hold clues leading to the bomber and his possible “network.”

On Sunday, one day before the bombastically named operation ended, a ceremony formally launching its show of force began with a parade of soldiers and police leading out from Royal Plaza in the Dusit district, complete with speeches, mounted cavalry and motorized convoys.

The manhunt kicked off after CCTV footage led investigators to identify a yellow-shirted young man walking into the shrine, which is popular among Thais and foreign tourists alike, where he discreetly set down his backpack and walked away. The bomb detonated several minutes later.

Source: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1440482896

-- Khaosod English 2015-08-25

So in the absence of the actual perp.,'round up the usual suspects' gets an honourable mention.

Horses and a parade? W-T-F

Horses and a parade? W-T-F

Yea, should be elephants

"On Friday, four days after an explosion at the Erawan Shrine killed 20 people, police announced with much fanfare the beginning of "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nests,” with the objective of “X-raying” potential residences that might hold clues leading to the bomber and his possible “network.”"

"On Sunday, one day before the bombastically named operation ended, a ceremony formally launching its show of force began with a parade of soldiers and police leading out from Royal Plaza in the Dusit district, complete with speeches, mounted cavalry and motorized convoys."

Lockdown launched 4 days after initial crime - bit late there lads.

X raying potential residences - been watching too many of the bosses' favorite TV cop movies now lads, so go out and do some real work to catch the perp's

Show of force - or show of chest feathers in order to save just a little bit of face on the global scale? What a backfiring move that will turn out to be.

Gonna need more than a few horses, motorbikes and police cars to sort out this mess Boys. Why didn't you wheel out a few photocopiers and show your fingerprinting talc at the same time, then the World may have been really impressed.

Call in Inspector Gadget, he will sort you all out and get your man.

Amazing Thailand, demonstrating to the world that they don't have a clue about proper police investigative techniques.

I can't recall the scene where Sherlock Holmes found it necessary down Whitehall on a white horse ...

Perhaps it might be worth launching operations against criminals more often, if there are so many out there, waiting to be discovered ?

One cannot help wandering how many will end up in court, and of those who do how many will be charged under Lese Majestie laws, defamation laws or the computer crimes laws?

1339 strong yields 142 counts of littering and the like.

Due to the amazing failure success of the dragnet, I hope this approach is discontinued in the future.

so now the police is doing their job ?

a bit late

So rather than beating the streets and searching and questioning people they decided it was better to spend millions of baht making a parade of police to make a show that they are trying. Wouldn't that money and time and effort have been put to better use actually investigating or perhaps fixing those broken cameras and putting more to prevent the farce that has happened already?

Anybody know where the "Bandits nest" is?

regards worgeordie

Anybody know where the "Bandits nest" is?

regards worgeordie

Royal Thai Police HQ

Rama I Rd, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330

Sounds more like the bandits were leaving there nest and actually earning there wages. But I may be wrong.

At least they give a goggle

all the white horses , they don't seem to have much idea do they? and what happened to Interpol , thailand needs to pull itself together at the moment they are just blundering along if they cant hack it they should get someone in that can.

Driving to town today , I took a longer detour to avoid the BIB controlposts , cause I thought they would be on high alert , and being foreigner and potentially worth 3M THB , I would surely be stopped.

But I was wrong , coming back the usual road , I saw nobody at the police posts.

More people in town looked at me , thought I must be having a bad hair day ....but it was as bad as usual , so I guess they were seizing me up for a 3 M payday ?

Maybe the "dragnet " is only around Bangkok....

Hmmmm. Now that they mention it, I have been feeling a bit "locked down" lately. I should go to the pharmacy?

Harassing the underworld could have it's benefits

In Aus thirty odd years ago the cops came down hard on the underworld after two young cops were set up and executed by shotgun.

The cops immediately disposed of any tolerance of the crooks and shut down their rackets, jailed many, sent the children of underworld figures to welfare homes.

The crack down was successful as the culprits were promptly delivered to the law, and slowly business returned to normal. A necessary strategy employing the vast network of thugs and hoodlums whose eyes are on the street.

Question is of course are the Thais capable of using their vast criminal network the same way?

"Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nest"

and clean up the horse sh*t. Must be a job for those conscripts?

When there's trouble have a parade.

Is everyone happy? A recent poll says, "yes".

The initial reports said the bomber had been picked up several times by a motorcycle taxi in the same area...... has every room for rent in the area been checked?

I am amazed they didn't find the guy. I mean they had horses and a parade, how could they miss?

wasting time in such shows instead they should try seriously to solve the issue or ask for asistence from foreign experts if they can not do it on their own. no point in arresting people who are probably innocent.

According to the original OP in Khaosod “the targets of “Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits’ Nests” were described as condominiums, guesthouses, hotels and dormitories that cater foreigners.

According to police reports, a total of 139 people have been arrested, three detained, and 4,615 properties searched by the time the operation ended Monday”. Since the raids/searches were done under the auspices of Section 44, I don't imagine we will be hearing any 'human rights' complaints about the techniques employed.

It is quite obvious that the places that we non-Thais frequent and reside in were the sole target of this grand exercise. I presume that we are all ( foreigners and expats) hereby branded as “ bandits”. Do you think that we will be made wear a large red "B" on our clothes.

Operation ' shut the door after the horse has bolted ' would have been a more appropriate name.

Still , makes them feel important .....bless.

The initial reports said the bomber had been picked up several times by a motorcycle taxi in the same area...... has every room for rent in the area been checked?

I saw that they checked hotels and guesthouses but nobody could remember him. What is if he was staying in some thai friends home?

The mind boggles

Seriously. One couldn't make this stuff up. So embarrassing.

The initial reports said the bomber had been picked up several times by a motorcycle taxi in the same area...... has every room for rent in the area been checked?

I saw that they checked hotels and guesthouses but nobody could remember him. What is if he was staying in some thai friends home?

Maybe he's just somchai from down the road and he stays at his own house....