Floundering Bomb Investigation Deepens Doubts About Competency

[Lite Beer]

Floundering Bomb Investigation Deepens Doubts About Competency

By Khaosod Eng.

Investigators canvas the scene after the 17-Aug bombing of Bangkok's Erawan Shrine.
By Todd Ruiz

BANGKOK — Less than a year after Thailand’s last high-profile criminal investigation left observers scratching their heads, the competency and professionalism of its police are under a new level of scrutiny, only this time much more is at stake.

Eleven months on from a widely-panned investigation into the murders of two tourists on a resort island, those hoping last week’s horrific bombing of Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine would bring gravitas and professionalism to the ensuing investigation have instead seen the same baffling pronouncements and self-contradictory assertions.

“When you consider this follows on the back of a number of high-profile incidents in which the competency of Thai authorities has been called into question, this was the chance to set that narrative correct,” said Gregory Poling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.

Bangkok Shrine Bombing: Those Who Died

Fourteen of the 20 people killed 17 Aug. hailed from outside the kingdom, leaving regional partners waiting for answers that so far have been in short supply from a state apparatus with “poor message management,” said Poling, the center’s Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies.

“The most important thing is that people are watching, and you see frustration building over notions of whether Thai authorities are really capable of investigating this professionally,” he said.

As much as during the height of the investigation into the murder of two Britons on Koh Tao, priorities have seemed obsessed with optics instead of substance.

This has left the public to settle for briefings that sometimes fall short of deductive reasoning.

“I don’t believe Thai people are the perpetrators … because the incident is a behavior that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais,” Deputy Police Chief Chaktip Chaijinda said yesterday.

In a short span of days, top officials alternately have implied the attack was carried out by domestic elements, speculated it was a foreign operation, discounted that theory and said they have no idea.

A state media report today quoted police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang saying no one could be ruled out. It also mentioned police interrogation of three Uighurs in the eastern province of Sakaew, “not because they are accusing the trio of involving in the two explosions in Bangkok, but police need information from all sources they could find in order to solve the case.”

Unable to control the message in the social media age, authorities have made increasingly aggressive demands they be entrusted as the source of information while failing to satisfactorily deliver it.

Somyot on Monday said police would seek the prosecution of anyone spreading false information, whether it was spread through a smartphone or television broadcast.

Read More: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1440762991

-- Khaosod English 2015-08-28

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

When first the government refused the help of the UK explosives experts followed by the suggestion that the police could get pointers from American television, one knew all was lost.

[GiantFan]

And issuing arrest warrants for unknown people seems strange to me.

[Kannikapor88]

Somyot on Monday said police would seek the prosecution of anyone spreading false information, whether it was spread through a smartphone or television broadcast.

Talk about desperation - They havent got a single clue where to look now and are trying to cover up that they are the most incompetent policeforce the World have ever seen ...

In a civilized country Somyot would have been fired after/under the Koh Toilet charade when the real murderer was walking around the crimescene contaminating evidence ...

[Bluespunk]

''Less than a year after Thailand’s last high-profile criminal investigation left observers scratching their heads, the competency and professionalism of its police are under a new level of scrutiny, only this time much more is at stake."

Competence? Professionalism?

​How can you scrutinize what does not exist?

[nong38]

When I see a policeman at a traffic light and someone runs staright through a red light and he does nothing about it it does make you wonder what the job entails. As I see it it seems to be somewhere you attend between 0800 and 1700 hours, shopping time is allowed in that time as are home visits. Any upholding of the law or investigations seem to happen on an ad hoc basis when someone thinks we will check drivers documents today, usally across the road from the police station so they can be back for breaks. End of the month as we approach pa day and funds are low, nip round to the local education establishments and dole out 300bt tickets to students they caught last month doing the same =no helmets. If the powers the powers that be insisted on better standards perhaps they might be more competent, the surprise is that a "scapegoat" has not been found.

[clockman]

But what can one ,expect. Positions in the force are purchased. You have to buy your own gun, and uniform! Its a complete charade.

[nottocus]

Highly amusing is this investigation.

[Artisi]

There was never any doubt.

[worgeordie]

Don t be too hard on them,they have a good idea who they

are looking for,a man in yellow and a man in blue

regards worgeordie

[anto]

>>

>>Highly amusing is this investigation. <<.....nothing amusing about it ,its a tragity .Yet i am not angry with the so called Police ,i am still angry with the Evil people behind it .

[NOC]

“I don’t believe Thai people are the perpetrators … because the incident is a behavior that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais,” Deputy Police Chief Chaktip Chaijinda said yesterday.

Yeah, right....

[Spleen]

Its all about face and money. Why they cleared that bombsite so quickly is anyone's guess, either they didn't want the fact they had been attacked for their foreign policy decisions to be staring people in the face everyday or it was purely to get the tourists back. I think the incompetence is how there decisions come across but in this case I believe after the initial decision which probably inspired the attack ,was naive. I think the decisions after the bombing were more calculated than incompetent, only sounds incompetent because they are trying to hide the truth

Also if someone is captured or accused of carrying out the bombing then it will be the usual circus all they way to a distant future trial. I would imagine they don't want this in the news and revelations coming out for that amount of time

Edited August 28, 2015 by Spleen

[AZBill]

They are not capable of any kind of meaningful investigation. This isn't a situation where they can plant evidence or shake people down to get results. This requires actual investigation skills and expertise and it simply doesn't exist there.

[thesetat2013]

Someone better call the police to arrest the writer of this article. I am beginning to feel fear and panic and it could spread now that I am reading how incompetent the police are

[smedly]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to &lt;deleted&gt;

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

[Jessi]

And issuing arrest warrants for unknown people seems strange to me.

Me also!!! How can you arrange an arrest warrant without a name?

You with the blue shirt on ..Your nicked!!!!

Talk about the key stone cops & Dads army.

[Yunla]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to <deleted>

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

I agree completely, this attack must be very difficult to investigate.

And I see the authorities trying their best to find a needle in a haystack, and at the same time they are trying to reassure the public and tourists alike, and keep this always popular city open and inviting to visitors. This attack was clearly aimed to destabilise and cause mass-anxiety, the attackers are keen to hide both their motives and their group. It is quite possible that the kid filmed at the site, has never even met any of the higher-ups in this evil cowardly plot.

I think the authorities are doing a very good job in such difficult circumstances.

[tropo]

“I don’t believe Thai people are the perpetrators … because the incident is a behavior that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais,” Deputy Police Chief Chaktip Chaijinda said yesterday.

Yeah, right....

You beat me to it - this was the quote of the day.

It can't be Thais, no way. Thais would never kill Thais.

But at least they know the perpetrators are not Thai, so they can lay that theory to rest.

[nottocus]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to <deleted>

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

What about accepting help from other countries?

[Soutpeel]

“I don’t believe Thai people are the perpetrators … because the incident is a behavior that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais,” Deputy Police Chief Chaktip Chaijinda said yesterday.

Yeah, right....

Was the Deputy Police Chief in charge of sharpening pencils when the Red shirts were hurling grenades into crowds a few years ago ?

Does the Deputy police chief read the news papers and some of the cruel behaviours inflicted every day on Thai people by Thai people ?

[Thian]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to <deleted>

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

They should have decent pictures or movies about the bomber.

I really can't believe they don't have them now. There are soo many camera's in the area and in the cars driving there.

What a shame the camera's all didn't work......

[Thian]

And why did they refuse all foreign help?

Because then they would have to speak inlit......

[cooked]

And why did they refuse all foreign help?

Because then they would have to speak inlit......

... after the Koh Tao murders: "Thai police read the same books as the English police". Plenty of scope for bad jokes there.

[cumgranosalum]

There seems to be a pattern emerging here...

• Koh Tao,
• Bangkok Bombing
• Chuwong "death" - http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851803-chuwongs-death-probe-back-to-square-one/?p=9789566

If the Junta were less committed to simply putting "their own men" in and spent some time on appointing competent police, maybe the situation might begin to change.

I don't know off-hand how many police there are in Thailand, but it is quite safe to assume from the headlines and personal encounters that the majority of the force is lamentably untrained in just about all aspects of police work.

So any new appointee would have to re-establish a new police force from the ground up..........a task that most police parties - including the incumbent - seem reluctant to undertake.

Edited August 29, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[Bluespunk]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to <deleted>

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

I agree completely, this attack must be very difficult to investigate.

And I see the authorities trying their best to find a needle in a haystack, and at the same time they are trying to reassure the public and tourists alike, and keep this always popular city open and inviting to visitors. This attack was clearly aimed to destabilise and cause mass-anxiety, the attackers are keen to hide both their motives and their group. It is quite possible that the kid filmed at the site, has never even met any of the higher-ups in this evil cowardly plot.

I think the authorities are doing a very good job in such difficult circumstances.

Possibly they are doing their best and it is a difficult case to solve but statements like this

"I dont believe Thai people are the perpetrators because the incident is a behavior that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais, Deputy Police Chief Chaktip Chaijinda said yesterday."

do not inspire confidence in their competence or professionalism.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Bluespunk

[Charlie Croker]

all you experts jumping in here and critisizing but not offering a solution need to <deleted>

I am no fan of the Thail police and I find them seriously lacking in trainging and the level of corruption we all know about

That said - I can see no way they could do much better than they are doing now, big city, swamped with tourists - seriously what would you have them do ?

so they could have done a little more at the crime scene and I agree with that, but at the end of the day some skinny coward walked up to a popular tourist spot with a bomb in a bag- left it there and calmly walked away - wearing possibly a wig and other stuff to hide his identity supposed to be talking English, but the biggest clue to this event is the fact that nobody claimed it

That's total twaddle.

1. You don't employ a police force to make an effort- its only and always results which count.

2. Who could do better? - the USA had the Boston bombers cornered in around 24 hours

3. You don't spout theories without proof, the facts determine the theory, not the other way around

4. The FACT that there is no evidence of the bomber after the bombing says what? No hints you make the call.

5. Look at the most likely perpetrators in trying to find the culprit- who has thrown bombs recently in Bangkok? - Now start investigating there.

6. Don't sweep everything away, like something to be ashamed of. Close the site and make this a national tragedy that everyone is focused on solving.

7. No evidence of the person leaving the country by usual ports? What does that tell you.

8. Disguises- get expert help to provide alternative appearances we could all be looking for.

Smedley - I disagree with you.there are many lessons to be learned here about how not to handle this situation.

[Khun Paul]

If you consider that the seppd in which the site of the blast was cleared ( for the sake of tourism and cultural values as well as the comment that nothing should adversely affect how Thailand is perceived, then it is no wonder that the Investigation is poor as how thw the world sees Thailand and preservation of it culture is more important than finding the killer (s ).

Apart from that that the police have little to go on and as they do not even have anyone they can interrogate ( intimidate ) , then they are completely stumped.

[jerojero]

Poor message management. How about utter incompetence in word and seed!

[a99az]

No doubts about it!!