Floundering Bomb Investigation Deepens Doubts About Competency

[jerojero]

Behavior too cruel for a Thai to do it. The arrogance is staggering!

[cumgranosalum]

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

This hardly inspires confidence in the police's ability to be objective or analytical about solving crimes - it isn't the first time this has been used by the police either. (v. Koh Tao murders)

...I hope it's not just a pre-ramble for setting scapegoats?

however I guess, assuming that the guy in the CCTV is actually the bomber, finding a look-a-like will be difficult-----either photoshop the image or plastic surgery on the scape-goat?

Edited August 29, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[reggaebkk]

It's not the fault of the Thai Police. Real and well planned terrorist crimes are about impossible to solve. All the Terrorist acts we have seen in the past, in Europe and USA, have been solved very fast if not instantly because they were inside jobs and the scapegoat was already cooked and served on a dish before the act took place. It's not the efficiency of the Thai police that has to be questioned for if it is well prepared there is no reason why the culprits should be caught. What is to question is why and how terrorists in the West are so conspicuous... Ooops... some well brainwashed reader has associated me with a conspiracy theorist and his brain just shut down. Muahahahaha

Edited August 29, 2015 by reggaebkk

[steven100]

how many more fluff PR's is this guy going to release ....

Edited August 29, 2015 by steven100

[cumgranosalum]

It's not the fault of the Thai Police. Real and well planned terrorist crimes are about impossible to solve. All the Terrorist acts we have seen in the past, in Europe and USA, have been solved very fast if not instantly because they were inside jobs and the scapegoat was already cooked and served on a dish before the act took place. It's not the efficiency of the Thai police that has to be questioned for if it is well prepared there is no reason why the culprits should be caught. What is to question is why and how terrorists in the West are so conspicuous... Ooops... some well brainwashed reader has associated me to a conspiracy theorist and his brain just shut down. Muahahahaha

Absolute nonsense! Your summary is based o nothing and the police have acted like amateurs again. They "cleaned" the site far too soon....they don't appear to have access to international intelligence or feel they don't need it, they are repeatedly mishandling the press releases with different people making different announcements...all in all it's a shambles and you need to look more closely at the various types or "terrorist" acts and who commits them and how they are solved.

and comments like "the incident is a behaviour that is too cruel for Thai people with Thai hearts to do to their fellow Thais," - just underlines the short fallings of the police thinking on the matter

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

So since they can't catch the terrorist they will become terrorist to those who speculate their action or anyone who talks against the police and army.

[gudtymchuk]

Just this morning I was privileged again to see another local copper riding his motorbike against the traffic on the wrong side of the road with his helmet chin strap flapping in the wind..... on his way to another tea money check point.

So what happened to the statement that Interpol was called in to help with the investigation? Probably one look, a laugh and a sigh, Interpol declined.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Its hard to impossisible to catch oneself, just ask my dog he's been going around in circles trying to catch his tail forever. It's vaccinating to watch . But my dog has a better chance of catching his tail then Thai police catching a cold. Take that to Poipet and bet on it.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere

[DoctorG]

Is there an actual police academy? Do they receive real ongoing training?

Real questions. Does anybody know?

[godden]

“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....

If people think your stupid, better to keep your mouth closed than open it and remove any doubt.

[emilymat]

I suspect this issue will drift on, until it is no longer front page news. It will then be wheeled out in about 18 months as justification for continued military rule.

[soalbundy]

Be fair, they are'nt used to working and this case is much harder than ripping off a tourist.

[Thian]

Just this morning I was privileged again to see another local copper riding his motorbike against the traffic on the wrong side of the road with his helmet chin strap flapping in the wind..... on his way to another tea money check point.

So what happened to the statement that Interpol was called in to help with the investigation? Probably one look, a laugh and a sigh, Interpol declined.

To be honest the police didn't ask me for a bribe since the General is in charge.

They stopped me many times though, just like in the past.

Also now i see police checkpoints every day where they check the big trucks and even weigh them. They don't only go after motorcycles anymore.

If i do anything wrong then they should fine me, fair enough but then also do it to all the cars/taxi's/songtaews/minibuses.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

To busy trying to defend Thai not being capable of despicable acts that they either nab a scapegoat or let the real killers get away.

[Srikcir]

"this was the chance to set that narrative correct"

The police accomplished that first hand.

[gandalf12]

Lets be fair to the police. They have no training in such matters as terrorism. They can go to the scene of a road accident but even that leaves a lot to be desired. If, and I doubt if they do, want to be considered as a competant force then accept the offer frrom the UK and use the experience to learn from it. Then purchase the necessary equipment required. Yes the high speed train project will have to be shelved but who cares? No one really wants it anyway.

Let them show just how good they really are by accepting their limitations and learning from highly qualified professionals from overseas. Credibility will follow

Edited August 29, 2015 by gandalf12

[Keesters]

When they can't even hand out parking tickets competently why should they be competent at this investigation.

[jamesbrock]

seriously what would you have them do ?

Accept any one of the many offers of assistance from professional, competent, and experienced international agencies that were forthcoming in the hours after the event.

In response to the 12 October 2002 Bali bombings—when three bombs exploded in a busy tourist area on the resort island of Bali killing 202 people, including 88 Australians—and at the request of the Indonesian National Police (INP), the Australian Federal Police (AFP) deployed a response team to Indonesia to assist in the immediate aftermath of the explosions.

The immediate assistance provided by the AFP included a 14 person response team which was sent to Bali on 13 October 2002, including specialist victim identification officers, scientific crime scene investigators and post-bomb-blast investigators.

The AFP’s support to the Indonesian response to the Bali bombings was one of the most significant and resource intensive operations the AFP has ever undertaken.

What became known as Operation Alliance, at its height had approximately 500 AFP members focused on matters relating to the bombings, including up to 100 personnel based in Indonesia.

On 17 October 2002, a formal joint investigation agreement was signed by Chief of the Indonesian National Police (INP) and former AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty.

As part of the investigation, an AFP Forward Command Post was established in Bali, which included Bali based investigators, Disaster Victim Identification, Forensics, Intelligence, Media, and Post Administration, Security, IT and Communications.

The primary focus of AFP involvement in the Bali bombings was supporting the INP investigation.

But, no, not Thailand. Sadly for people of Thailand, most of them believe their own hype. Thailand Number 1! We don't need any assistance. We know exactly what we're doing. Incompetent morons.

[kiwikeith]

''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?

Face saving, they are saving the face of the bomber all over town who looks nothing like the CCTV, they have not used computer enhancement tecnology even though they have been offered outside help to do this , so they save the wrong face of the suspect who must have ran away laughing at the image they posted so that they could save their face.

[razer]

A few years ago I was with a Thai MP on a flight to London. We were having a coffee in Dubai when he asked me what I thought about Thailand. I told him it was like a movie set. It looks impressive but there is nothing behind the scenes. In essence, it's all about the show, not substance.

[watcharacters]

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 offering a serious reward?

There are some criminals being sought with rewards up into the millions of USD.

With enough money offered, even one's mother may call the police.

[dageurreotype]

I believe they know it was the Uighurs but haven't a clue as to how to deal with international terrorism. It also severely damages their tourism.

[dageurreotype]

What about offering a serious reward?

There are some criminals being sought with rewards up into the millions of USD.

With enough money offered, even one's mother may call the police.

What? 10 million baht (last I heard) not enough? Pfft. And in any case, any Thai on the street would have about as much of a clue as how to spot and deal with an international terrorist as the current admin.

Edited August 29, 2015 by dageurreotype

[joebrown]

Is there an actual police academy? Do they receive real ongoing training?

Real questions. Does anybody know?

I don't think they attend an actual academy. They forego this in favour of watching the movie Police Academy! Watching American movies is strongly advised by senior Thai police Officers as a means of solving major crimes, such as the Erewan bombing. Didn't ya know?

[Thian]

They should find out why the camera's didn't work.

That's very important. The guy who was responsible for that can be blamed for not finding the bomber and the loss of big money by tourists not coming.

[metisdead]

Posts containing derogatory slurs toward Thais have been removed. Inflammatory posts and replies have been removed.

[seminomadic]

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

This may very well be true, but it really just connotes more incompetence. Suppose that the perpetrators want the monkeys in charge to come out with what really happened and the monkeys don't. To save face, of course.

Well, if I'm the perpetrator, I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna do it again, JUST BECAUSE they're hiding it from the public since the monkeys have now PROVEN that they can't figure anything out. Them and their 25% operative CCTV cameras. Pathetic on every level.

I like that the writer of this article did not exaggerate, did not take any smarmy potshots like I just did, just told it like it is, straight up.

[Charlie Croker]

Just this morning I was privileged again to see another local copper riding his motorbike against the traffic on the wrong side of the road with his helmet chin strap flapping in the wind..... on his way to another tea money check point.

So what happened to the statement that Interpol was called in to help with the investigation? Probably one look, a laugh and a sigh, Interpol declined.

The idea that policemen don't follow the same rules we all should is no different around the world.

In fact the popular media lauds the rogue cop who does whatever has to be done. In many ways that's what's missing here. Following protocol, saving face and accepting the ineffective procedural stipulations have got no where.

In many ways you get what you pay for. The redshirt government offer carte blanche to corrupt police and the reformists threaten to send them to jail.

The administration ultimately takes responsibility for police failings and the we lambast them for it.

Sack the top Bib - who know where their bread is buttered- employ from overseas to fill recruitment postings and senior administration. Not forgetting an incentivised IA/rat squad to persecute corruption.

Shame the police admin into doing a better job by sending them in front of cameras to explain poor policing and institute a policy of performance based employment/disciplinary protocols.

[Lupatria]

It would have been appropriate to name and shame the moron who ordered to hose and clean up the place before thorough forensic investigation were finalized.

It would have also been appropriate to do the same to the guy who circumvented the help of professional foreign experts, stating this would harm the great nations sovereignty...

As long as no one has the cojones to publicly name these guys and suspend them, this will be the hub of amateurs.

[springheeled jack]

the reason they are floundering is they have never been asked to use their brains before this maybe a step too far for them I would like to know what happened to Interpol rtp asked for help to try and solve this case there doesn't appear to be any sign of them was it another case of don't bother we will sort it out ourselves they haven't the capacity to sort anything out.