webfact Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 The surreal investigations into Thailand's unresolved bombings By Jonathan Head South East Asia correspondent BANGKOK: -- If the investigation of last week's multiple bomb attacks in southern Thailand follows the pattern of that into the bombing of the Erawan Shine in Bangkok exactly a year ago, we are in for a surreal ride. What we may not see is any convincing explanation for what happened. Like the spate of small bombs last week, the attack in Bangkok on 17 August last year was something new. Never before had such a large, deadly device been detonated at a symbolically-powerful location popular with foreign tourists. Twenty people died, and more than 120 were injured. The immediate response of the military authorities was to deny any possibility that this was a terrorist attack. The next response was to deny any possibility that it might be retribution for a controversial decision a month before to deport 109 Muslim Uighur asylum-seekers back to China, where they faced harsh treatment as suspected insurgents. This despite the fact that the shrine was known to be popular with Chinese tourists. Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37091825 -- BBC 2016-08-17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canopus1969 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Good article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candide Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Well, some comments on TVF have been surreal too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddavidovsky Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 The word 'surreal' denotes quite profound ridicule. Jonathan is finding it harder to hold back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCC1701A Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 "Thailand. LSD without the LSD." Good article Jonathan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 A good plan would be to <deleted> until they have some verifiable evidence to report. It it was embarrassing to read an hour after the bombing the laundry list of all the people or groups not responsible. Last I checked, proving a negative is difficult or impossible if you're not able to prove the positive. You can't prove God doesn't exist, you can't prove Bigfoot doesn't exist, you can't prove I never had a three way with a K-pop girls band. If and when they find who did it, only then can they say who didn't. And you're still not 100% sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkidlad Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 "You can't prove God doesn't exist" Well, you can. But the burden of proof is on the believers. Much like in a court of law. Eliminating people from inquiries is what police do. It makes it easier to pinpoint the real culprit. But this is all moot anyway. Call me a Thai basher, but I simply don't trust the police here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar God Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Obscure acronyms are being deleted now? Was the last system update the Evangelical Christian filter or did the server get moved to a sharia law country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobmac10 Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I bet they never catch anyone .... Or they arrest some patsy and convict him in a closed court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotBkk Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Great article Jonathan Basically, the main agenda in Thailand is to downtrod any terrorist attacks to be kept at bare minimum. Thus, save any discord affecting tourism. Can't really give tourists a sandbag each at the airports. It's disgraceful but that's the way it is here. Just saying ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckBee Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) it's the thai way, bury head in sand, blame those you personally dislike or in a way to benfit your agenda, if any issues arise from this handling manner do whatever needed to save face by repeating first handling manner :-S I couldn't even get a haircut without soi motorbike taxi boys knowing and I never used thetaxi bikes, they even use discuss my travelling routine & where they thought i going & been and same for most other people as they right gas bags, how all these bombs got placed without video & locals providing good evidence to follow is beyond me. Edited August 17, 2016 by BuckBee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MockingJay Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Looks like the "operations" were on a "need to know" basis, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcnx Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 47 minutes ago, BuckBee said: it's the thai way, bury head in sand, blame those you personally dislike or in a way to benfit your agenda, if any issues arise from this handling manner do whatever needed to save face by repeating first handling manner :-S I couldn't even get a haircut without soi motorbike taxi boys knowing and I never used thetaxi bikes, they even use discuss my travelling routine & where they thought i going & been and same for most other people as they right gas bags, how all these bombs got placed without video & locals providing good evidence to follow is beyond me. I agree 100%. Every Thai I know seems to know everything going on in the area, be it who's selling land, who has cancer, who beats their wife, who has a kid in another country, who cheats on who, and so on. They literally seem to know everything happening and everyone involved. I've had a few comment on my odd hours in and out, but I never saw them. It's been this way everywhere I've lived. To think so many bombs can be placed and no one knows anything at all... not buying it. I think they are just afraid to talk about it. For as much as they all love to gossip, they are all scared to death of ghosts, the police, and losing face. So it makes sense they wouldn't say anything, because they have to deal with the police AND risk losing face if they are wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Loh Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 The investigation ended when the police collected the $80,000 reward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waitforusalso Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 " Watch out and stay away from those who wear glasses, caps or carry backpacks as they might be a bomber, said Thai’s army supreme commander. " Watch out and stay away from those who wear glasses, caps or carry backpacks as they might be a bomber, said Thai’s army supreme commander,Gen Theerachai Nakwanit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PremiumLane Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 2 hours ago, rkidlad said: "You can't prove God doesn't exist" Well, you can. But the burden of proof is on the believers. Much like in a court of law. Eliminating people from inquiries is what police do. It makes it easier to pinpoint the real culprit. But this is all moot anyway. Call me a Thai basher, but I simply don't trust the police here. That isn't Thai bashing, that is common sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sujoop Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) Some good points. However, it's unfortunate that Jonathan as an otherwise capable journalist is also compromised, with a long standing axe to grind and regularly re-tweets the who's who of the pro-red, pro-Thaksin and anti-royalty crowd on his twitter timeline. It's all a rather chummy 'nudge-nudge, wink-wink' similar minded clique (some on here will appreciate;). But this is not becoming of a supposedly impartial reporter. Ironically, if one brings this up to Mr Head on twitter, they are often summarily 'text gang-banged' by the clique and blocked from responding thus silenced. Defender of democracy, Freedom of the press - JH style. Edited August 17, 2016 by sujoop To add Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pookiki Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 One thing for sure about the bombings is that initially there is a lot of finger-pointing, some arrests, and then things just sort of fade away. As far as I know, there have been no suspects arrested for the car bomb that did substantial damage in Hat Yai a few years ago. And I continue to wonder if the suspects in the Erawan Shrine bombing will ever be brought to trial or just left to languish in prison. But the reward was paid, who cares, right? Headlines then cold case files. It is surreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prbkk Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Perhaps they were taking their leads from DJJAMIE who announced within minutes that the Erawan atrocity was the work of the Reds, IIRC , and then followed up by making the same claim in respect of the latest bombings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khon Kaen Dave Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 The Americans believe god exists,because they tell us so on their bank notes.In God we trust! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Very surreal tidbit reported in the BBC article re the Erawan bombing case and the two arrested suspects: Quote Both men are being tried in a military court. The only translator found in Bangkok who can speak their language has since been arrested for drug offences, so they now have no way to follow court proceedings. Huh??? Is this really true? And so is the military court going to proceed with the case without the two suspects having any ability to know what's going on in the proceeding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eligius Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 4 hours ago, dcnx said: I agree 100%. Every Thai I know seems to know everything going on in the area, be it who's selling land, who has cancer, who beats their wife, who has a kid in another country, who cheats on who, and so on. They literally seem to know everything happening and everyone involved. I've had a few comment on my odd hours in and out, but I never saw them. It's been this way everywhere I've lived. To think so many bombs can be placed and no one knows anything at all... not buying it. I think they are just afraid to talk about it. For as much as they all love to gossip, they are all scared to death of ghosts, the police, and losing face. So it makes sense they wouldn't say anything, because they have to deal with the police AND risk losing face if they are wrong. People additionally won't talk because they are also scared to death of .... the military! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojorison Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 "those who have lost power" ... That would be who... the people?? Oh, those ones. If you don't like "Thai bashing" and think those that do should shut up and go home, you'd have to give me some pretty good reasons why LOS does not warrant a high degree of criticism, cynicism and annoyance. The Thai people deserve better. I'm half Thai, so I think I have the right to half an opinion. Counting down the days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennw Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 6 hours ago, ScotBkk said: Great article Jonathan Basically, the main agenda in Thailand is to downtrod any terrorist attacks to be kept at bare minimum. Thus, save any discord affecting tourism. Can't really give tourists a sandbag each at the airports. It's disgraceful but that's the way it is here. Just saying ... Sorry but as usual Mr Head's left wing report is superficial and light weight. Where is your own analysis Richard, ? Where is your own research? As usual Thai bashing from the comfort of your hotel room. Pleas don't waste our time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairynuff Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 "Sorry but as usual Mr Head's left wing report" what a weird and inaccurate comment!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallGuyJohninBKK Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) Regardless of anyone's political views, I'd say the article was a pretty good and accurate diagnosis of how the various major cases mentioned have been handled/mishandled and often not solved. And he didn't even mention the long lingering criminal proceedings over the Saudi jewel heist murders and the police implicated in that case, or the disappearing Red Bull heir/murder suspect where the police once again were implicated. And the list goes on and on. If I had been writing the report, I'm not sure I would have thought to use the word "surreal." But upon seeing it used to describe the sordid history of things being discussed, surreal might just be the fitting term. Edited August 17, 2016 by TallGuyJohninBKK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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