Bangkok warned on more attacks
By Kelvin Goh,WNS Thailand Bureau Chief
BANGKOK - Thailand's army-installed prime minister has warned the public to brace themselves for similar attacks to the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok. Surayud Chulanont made his warning in parliament, but did not give details of any specific threats. His government has hinted it believes politicians ousted in September's military coup may have been behind the bombings that killed three people. Suspicion has also fallen on disaffected soldiers and police. Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said it was "highly likely" the attacks were carried out by "men in uniform". "It's 90% sure that it is politically motivated, and only a handful of groups of people have the potential to mount these attacks," he said. Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and another former prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, have angrily denied any involvement in the blasts. Mr Thaksin, in a handwritten letter sent from Beijing where he has been staying, suggested the attacks were similar to those mounted by insurgents in Thailand's south.
Bangkok remains on high alert following the eight blasts that hit the Thai capital, killing three and wounding at least 38 people. Security has been stepped up around transport hubs but the city is jittery - more than a thousand reports of suspicious packages and hoax warnings of bombs have been received by the authorities. Rumours also swirled around Bangkok on Thursday of a possible counter-coup, but spokesmen for the military and government denied this. "There have been transfers of troops but it is for the purpose of providing security in Bangkok," military spokesman Col Sansern Chaengkamnerd told the AP news agency.
Surayud Chulanont, who was appointed interim prime minister after the 19 September coup, has vowed to catch those behind the bomb attacks. But he told the National Legislative Council: "The public should be prepared to deal with this new kind of threat to our lives in the future." He also ruled out a link to the conflict in the south, telling parliament that though tests showed the bombs were similar to those used in the insurgency, "I can reassure you that they are not exactly the same." "That is why we have concluded that the bombings had nothing to do with the south, and rather that the ill-intentioned perpetrators are in Bangkok," he told parliament.
posted by wnsworld @ 11:10 PM
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