Thailand indicts 2 for deadly Bangkok bombing

[webfact]

Thailand indicts 2 for deadly Bangkok bombing
NATTASUDA ANUSONADISAI, Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A military court in Thailand on Tuesday indicted two men police say carried out a deadly August bombing at a central Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured.

The Aug. 17 blast at the popular Erawan Shrine was one of the most serious acts of violence in Bangkok in decades. Authorities have declined to call it an act of terrorism out of apparent fear that it would hurt the country's huge tourism industry.

The two suspects, identified as Bilal Mohammad and Mieraili Yusufu, were indicted on 10 counts — none of them terrorism charges — connected to the blast. The charges included conspiracy to explode bombs and commit premeditated murder, said defense lawyer Chuchart Kanpai.

Both men have been described by officials as ethnic Uighurs (pronounced "wee-ghurs") from western China's Xinjiang region. Officials say the blast was carried out by a people-smuggling gang seeking revenge on Thai authorities for cracking down on their operation.

Thai officials say there was no political or religious motive behind the attack but skepticism about the police explanation on the shrine attack has abounded because of leaks, contradictions, misstatements and secrecy surrounding the investigation.

The two men have been held at an army base since their arrests in late August and early September.

Media was not allowed to enter the military court Tuesday and the indictments took place before the two suspects arrived, said Chuchart, their lawyer.

They are being tried at a military court on an army base in Bangkok because cases of "national security" have been handled by the military since last May, when the army seized power in a coup from an elected government.

Former National Police Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang said before his retirement in September that the case against the two suspects was supported by closed-circuit television footage, witnesses, DNA matching and physical evidence, in addition to their confessions.

Security camera footage from the Erawan Shrine showed a man wearing a yellow T-shirt who sat down on a bench at the outdoor shrine, took off a black backpack and then left it behind as he stood up and walked away. Time stamps showed he left the shrine just minutes before the blast occurred, during evening rush hour as the area in central Bangkok was filled with people.

Police believe that Bilal is the yellow-shirted man who planted the bomb and Yusufu is believed to have detonated the bomb.

Police said they have confessions from the two, and Bilal's lawyer says his client admitted planting the deadly bomb at the behest of another suspect who remains a fugitive. He says Bilal was induced to carry out the action by a promise that his emigration to Turkey would be expedited.

Early speculation about the bombing suggested it might be the work of Uighur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighurs to China, where it is feared they face persecution. The theory was bolstered by the fact that the Erawan Shrine is popular among Chinese tourists, who figured prominently among the victims of the bombing.

Some of the 15 other suspects are Turks, with whom Uighurs share ethnic bonds, and Turkey is home to a large Uighur community. Beijing charges that some Uighurs are Islamist terrorists and that some have been smuggled out of China to join Islamic State fighters in Syria, via Turkey.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-24

[zaphod reborn]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

Edited November 24, 2015 by zaphod reborn

[jaywalker]

Is it time for a new round of rewards?

[BKKBrit]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

"Obvious conclusion"? What facts do you have that ISIS had a hand in this?

[petedk]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

????

What are you talking about?

[taony]

Thought they had 17 arrest warrants out.

[EnglishJohn]

Two low level operatives to take the blame and nobody of any status implicated.

No religious (Muslims in the South) or political (Red shirts) linked to this bomb (all quiet on the red-shirt bomber involved now). No motive and no explanations. But most importantly, no difficult links which would cause either of those groups to commit more violence if publicly accused.

Just a couple of guys who had an apartment set up to make bombs long before any deportations who decided one day that they were so full of hate they would let off a pipe-bomb and murder some innocent people in the center of Bangkok.

And nobody raises an eyebrow. Just like Ko Tao. Everybody in any position to do something about it knows when to keep quiet in this country.

[DLang]

Thai officials say there was no political or religious motive behind the attack.

They say the blast was revenge by a people-smuggling network against Thai authorities for breaking up their operation.

Hogwash.

It was for 'repatriation' of the Uigher, over 100 of them forcefully 'repatriated' to China to be killed.

But no, the Thai authorities state it happened because of their own good work in breaking up a human-smuggling ring.

Disgusting social trait of lies lies lies for face.

[phycokiller]

this story has so many holes in it. for example, if they broke up a people smuggling network why were there no arrests or news on it? why was the case closed before any of the people smuggling network where arrested? not only is there an ex people smuggling network out there somewhere but they are doing bomb attacks and no attempt is being made to find them, and that all leads to why in the trial being conducted in secret. to me this just seems to be a very poor attempt at a coverup of who knows what?

[webfact]

3 Months After Attack, Bangkok Bombing Suspects Charged
By Teeranai Charuvastra
Staff Reporter


Security officers inspect the blast site at Erawan Shrine on Aug. 17, 2015, in Bangkok.

BANGKOK — After nearly three months in military custody, two Uighur men accused of staging Bangkok’s deadliest terror attack in memory were charged in court today.

The two accused, Mohammad Bilal and Yusufu Mieraili, were brought to the martial court Tuesday morning, where the prosecutor charged them with 10 offenses including premeditated murder and possession of explosives for their alleged roles in the Aug. 17 bombing that killed 20 people in the capital city.

How they answered the charges was not yet apparent, as reporters were not allowed inside. Bilal’s lawyer, Chuchart Kanpai, was in court and unavailable for comment today. In an interview earlier this month, he said both men had confessed to the crime.

Bilal and Mieraili were initially held in civilian custody after their arrests on Aug. 29. and Sep. 1, respectively, but were later transferred to a military facility in Bangkok and remanded there as prosecutors prepared their case against them.

Defendants can be held up to 84 days without charge.

According to police, Bilal and Mieraili engineered the bomb attack that struck the popular Erawan Shrine during rush hour on Aug. 17, killing 20 people and injuring hundreds, many of them foreign tourists.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1448344955

-- Thai PBS 2015-11-24

[MZurf]

"Authorities have declined to call it an act of terrorism out of apparent fear that it would hurt the country's huge tourism industry."

I'm sure that strategy has worked extremely well!

[zaphod reborn]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

"Obvious conclusion"? What facts do you have that ISIS had a hand in this?

Do you remember all those fake Turkish passports they found in the rented room with the bomb-making materials? Read this to find out the source of those fake Turkish passports.

http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_report-more-than-100000-fake-turkish-passports-given-to-isil_377534.html

[Oziex1]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

"Obvious conclusion"? What facts do you have that ISIS had a hand in this?

Me thinks if ISIS was the culprit they would let us know, got a felling they may have their hands full in the ME.

If ISIS was responsible and the RTP was aware of it, they (the RTP) may very well be running to inactive posts.

[webfact]

Two bomb suspects indicted before military court



BANGKOK: -- Two suspects in the Erawan Shrine bombing were indicted at the military court this morning by the judge advocate.

The two suspects, Ardem Karadag and Miarelli Yusufu , were slapped with ten counts of charge which include possessing and using explosives, carrying firearms in public without proper reason, attempted murder, setting off explosion causing deaths and injuries to other people, premediated murder, illegal entry and possession of military weapons.

Karadag was arrested at an apartment room in Min Buri where bomb-making materials were found whereas Yusufu was apprehended as he attempted to cross the border into Cambodia through a checkpoint in Sa Kaew province.

During the enquiry by the police, the two suspects confessed to plotting and carrying out the bomb attack at the Erawan Shrine in August together with 15 other suspects who are still at large.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/two-bomb-suspects-indicted-before-military-court


-- Thai PBS 2015-11-24

[dcpo]

So it's not terrorism, but they're still being tried in secret military courts with no media allowed on the basis of 'national security'... The military just do whatever they want as always. There's no reason to have any faith in anything that comes out of this.

[Alration]

They got their trafficked Uighur scapegoats all lined up to take the fall. Anything to deflect from the obvious conclusion that the bombing was organized by ISIS in retaliation for deporting some of their trafficked freedom fighters who were headed to Syria.

"Obvious conclusion"? What facts do you have that ISIS had a hand in this?

Do you remember all those fake Turkish passports they found in the rented room with the bomb-making materials? Read this to find out the source of those fake Turkish passports.

http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_report-more-than-100000-fake-turkish-passports-given-to-isil_377534.html

The only one making that very tenuous connection is you, there is certainly nothing "obvious" about it. The report that you link to does not prove nor even suggest that your remarks were anything but your own over-imaginative conspiracy theory.

[chainarong]

I was mussing about this last night, so we have a start , I was mussing also about the luxury car imports parts scam that started with the wonderful Tarit , you can muse all day about Thailand......................................

[springheeled jack]

if the police had the right people for the crime I would say ok go ahead but alas the answer is emphatically no the main villains are still at large.

[BritTim]

The BBC also has a report on this. Nothing really different from other reports:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34907670

[kiwikeith]

Tried in a military court for national security, what are they worried about they are not terrorists.