# Bombs Blast Bangkok
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 3, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653 "2015-02-03T00:23:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/41 "2015-08-21T03:27:03Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> The Erawan Shrine reopened yesterday (Thursday), and this morning a multiple-religion ceremony was held. But unless the police know something they’re not saying – always possible but less likely than in the West when talking about the Thai police – they don’t seem any closer to catching the perp.
>
> There are many advantages to living in a Third World country, but an efficient police and justice system is not one of them. Jonathon Head, the BBC’s Bangkok-based reporter, was doing a spot from the reopened shrine yesterday. Someone handed him some more bomb fragments they’d just found at the site, and Head speculated maybe the police had been in too much of a rush to clear the scene and get the site reopened. He walked down the street to the National Police Headquarters, a very short walk away. Some bemused guards at the gate looked at the fragments and told him sorry, everyone was gone for the day. (BBC later said Head did eventually manage to find someone to accept the fragments, but whether tit was there or somewhere else, I don’t know.)
>
> Then there were two other men seen on the CCTV footage near the main suspect. It was thought they all may have been working together. But those two men were dismissed as suspects after they were seen on other CCTV videos in the area react in shock to the blast at the shrine they had just left. [This report](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/663244/two-other-men-unlikely-bombing-accomplices) contains this nugget, which is solid gold: **“Apart from being shocked, both men also reacted ‘girlishly’, detectives said on condition of anonymity, adding that their reaction would indicate they had nothing to do with the bombing.”** 😃 (Since that story, the two men, after seeing themselves in the news, turned themselves in to police last night, where they were questioned and released. Seems they were just a couple of run-of-the-mill tour guides, one Thai and the other Chinese.)
>
> EDIT: And my English friend is adamant that for the second bombing on Tuesday, the whole office heard three distinct blasts.
Johnathan Head’s “report” is yellow journalism plain and simple, frankly I think it’s despicable how he used this tragedy for his own showboating.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/42 "2015-08-21T03:28:06Z")
I wouldn’t go that far. Head is a good journalist with years of experience in Thailand. A good man too. Plus I think he had a very valid point.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/43 "2015-08-22T00:25:42Z")
Now _this_ really _is_ tacky: [Nation TV apologises for bomb-scene recreation](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/664632/nation-tv-apologises-for-bomb-scene-recreation). Local Thai-language news channel Nation TV tried to reenact the bombing for a segment, complete with one of their staff dressing up just like the bomber. They were going to edit the footage to do a time-line re-creation for a news segment. The people at the newly reopened shrine took great exception, and filming was forced to shut down.
And as usual when such incidents occur, there’s some confusion over Thailand, as seen in this headline by the _San Jose Mercury-News_ in California: [Taiwan Hunts for Shrine Bomber](http://www.pressreader.com/usa/san-jose-mercury-news/20150819/281672548683718/TextView). Well, I dunno, I guess he could be there.
In addition to the Taiwan bit above, Ron Morris at [2bangkok.com](http://2bangkok.com) has a very informative, detailed time line of events, with lots of photos.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/44 "2015-08-23T01:35:29Z")
Security does seem tighter in Bangkok, but it’s hit or miss. We live near a medium-sized shopping center called Central Plaza Rama III. No security personnel in sight yesterday (Saturday, five days after the bombing) at the entrances when I went in or left, not a one. But going into Siam Center shopping mall in the more touristy Siam Square area, just up the street from the Erawan Shrine, I did have my bag searched, a first for that place. The wife said she did too when she arrived to meet me there. She had her bag searched at a subway entrance yesterday too, whereas I did not see security at the above-ground Skytrain mass-transit system searching anyone, although I did see more security personnel. (In general, the subway has always seemed tighter on security than the Skytrain. I guess they figure being blown up in a tunnel is worse than being blasted out of the sky.)
In Siam Square itself, the new Siam Square One shopping mall, built on the site of the old Siam Theater, which was burned down by the red shirts in the 2010 riots, had some pretty tight security.
There were noticeably fewer people out and about around Siam Square. The Skytrain passes right by the Erawan Shrine, and you have a clear view down into it. I could not see any damage at all, they’ve done a good job cleaning it up and repairing it. Passing by again after dark, it looked rather dim. It’s usually lit up like daylight. Both Skytrain lines pass by the shrine, and on the night of the bombing, they were not shut down. I wonder if the blast occurred right when a train was passing and what that must have looked like, that and the aftermath.
I hear the reward for the bomber has risen to 3 million baht (US$84,300). Britain has offered to loan some investigators, but the government has turned it down, saying that would impinge on Thailand’s sovereignty. :rolleyes: I think they are, however, considering an offer from the US regarding facial-recognition software. But the prime minister has the situation well in hand, as [he’s urging the investigators to watch the US television series _Blue Bloods_ to pick up tips on how to do their job correctly](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/662180/blast-has-premier-looking-for-answers-on-tv). That may actually be good advice, because [this story here is generally representative of police in Thailand](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/664820/police-officers-shoot-each-other-in-late-night-dustup).
And [the hoaxers are starting to come out](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/665328/ayutthaya-bomb-hoaxer-held). The government is warning people not to be spreading rumors on the Internet.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 23, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/45 "2015-08-23T03:06:25Z")
Small update. They’ve got some CCTV footage of [suspicious activity at Sathon Pier the day before the blast there](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/665508/suspect-sought-in-sathon-blast), the same day of the Erawan Shrine bombing.
And the reward has been bumped to 10 million baht (US$281,000) by Thaksin’s son of all people. I take that to mean the bomber has been safely whisked away … or is now sleeping wid da fishies.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/46 "2015-08-25T01:18:46Z")
The investigation seems to have stalled. Many CCTV cameras that could have tracked the perp farther seem to have been in disrepair. It’s long been speculated by the public that many if not most of these cameras are fakes anyway, put up just for show.
But you can’t say _no_ arrests have been made in the case. A Hong Kong photojournalist decided to cover the story wearing a bulletproof vest and has been arrested. It seems possession of a bulletproof vest without permission is a criminal offense, punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine of up to 50,000 baht (US$1400). He’s out on bail while his case is pending.
No more bombs have gone off, but [construction workers found a rusty old hand grenade at a building site in Bangkok](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/667192/grenades-found-in-bangkok-korat) and turned it in to police. It was old but still in working order. And some villagers in the Northeast found one that was discarded, also in working order. At least no one did what often happens when someone finds some sort of explosive, which is to take it to a metal smith, who decides to see what’s inside, saws it open and blows up himself and half the neighborhood in the process.
The bars are hurting a bit, as many bargirls have become too frightened to show up to work and have even headed back home upcountry until the situation is resolved. The Nana Plaza red-light complex has put up a metal detector at the entrance and implemented backpack inspections. Guards on each of the three floors too.But you can’t take a small suitcase into there anymore, and this will inconvenience a lot of guys who normally use the short-time hotels in the place for all night. They’ll have to make other arrangements. No metal detectors at either end of Soi Cowboy or at Patpong.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2015, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/47 "2015-08-25T01:28:54Z")
[meant to include a link to the Hong Kong journalist story](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/667092/hk-photographer-bailed-after-arrest-for-ballistic-vest)
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### Author:  [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/48 "2015-08-29T12:29:46Z")
Major breakthrough today, a suspected bomb maker has been arrested, piles of bomb making materials and fake Turkish passports.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/49 "2015-08-29T13:00:24Z")
We just got home and are watching the news now. The Thai news. They said something about he’s Turkish but not an international terrorist. Said it was “personal.” (There are a lot of gem scams operating around the shrine. I wonder if he got ripped off and this was revenge.) Caught in an apartment in Nong Chok district on the far eastern edge of the city.
BBC news coming on now.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/50 "2015-08-29T13:14:03Z")
Top of the news on BBC is the Al-Jazeera retrial in Egypt, but they did break to the Bangkok bombing story for a bit. Not much to report now, but they did say it was some sort of foreigner who the landlord said had lived in the apartment for weeks. The man speaks no Thai. They found a Turkish passport for him and a Turkish ID card for another man, but the passport is an obvious fake. So they don’t know yet if this really is a Turk or some other West Asian nationality. But he does not appear to be the bomber caught in the video. Bomb materials and even what looked like a rudimentary suicide vest were all found in the apartment. That’s all from BBC.
The _Bangkok Post_ has [this story](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/673552/police-hold-possible-bomb-suspect) on its website. The photo of the man is what BBC also showed. Also says the passport was fake. Sheesh, they even misspelled “Istanbul” in it.
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### Author:  [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/51 "2015-08-29T13:27:07Z")
There’s very little chance that man was working alone, in fact the police say they think he was not the one that placed both bombs.
Apparently he was renting 5 apartments in the same condo, I saw some of the things found there, stacks of Turkish passports, bags of ball bearings (as the ones used in the bombs) detonators, metal pipes about 20cm long by 8cm wide with metal caps in both ends, AKA pipe bombs, etc, etc…
The guy is up to his ankles in it… head first.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/52 "2015-08-29T13:33:29Z")
No, it sounds like a gang. So color me surprised it’s foreigners. But now I’m grateful for Thai police tactics, because they’ve taken this particular perp to an undisclosed army base for a, er, little chat, hehe. I’m sure he’s having a grand ol’ time as I’m typing this. They do believe he’s Turkish and have sent for a Turkish interpreter.
Now if they’ll just get on the ball and finally arrest that Red Bull heir who killed that cop … _how_ many years ago?
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/53 "2015-08-29T15:20:38Z")
Close to 10:15pm here, and not much new. Residents of that apartment block are feeling put out, because they’re still not allowed back in. Strange that the one spokesman said the attack was something “personal.” I guess more answers will be forthcoming after they’re finished beating the bejesus out of the perp who was caught.
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### Author:  [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/54 "2015-08-29T15:42:28Z")
I’m now having second thoughts on attending a conference there.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/55 "2015-08-29T15:44:02Z")
Nah, it’ll be fine. Bangkok’s a huge place.
EDIT: Just don’t bring a bulletproof vest! (See earlier post)
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2015, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/56 "2015-08-30T03:29:17Z")
They’re saying [phone records led to the arrest](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/673708/phone-data-leads-to-bomb-arrest).
I like this excerpt: **“Pol Gen Somyot became visibly irritated when confronted by a reporter’s question as to whether the suspect was a scapegoat. ‘How can you ask such a question? Are you Thai? It’s completely unhelpful,’ he said.”**
Well yeah, the reporter is Thai, which is how he or she knows that scapegoats are very often the fallback solution in Thailand.
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### Author:  [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)
#### Post date: [August 30, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/57 "2015-08-30T04:12:04Z")
Bar Girls, rice market manipulation, and now terror bombs.
Tell Bhumibol Adulyadej to get off his ass and do something.
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### Author:  [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2015, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/58 "2015-08-31T05:51:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#):
>
> No, it sounds like a gang. So color me surprised it’s foreigners.
A lot of things don’t make sense here. If they were planning follow up attacks why wait so long between attacks? If there were international terror why did no group claim responsibility? The “personal motive” explanation makes no sense to me at all, your criminal passport gang gets busted so you retaliate with a mass bombing that brings massive police attention to you? So far we’re a long way from seeing anything close to a believable story about this…
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### Author:  [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/59 "2015-08-31T08:23:20Z")
> [@coremelt](#):
>
> A lot of things don’t make sense here. If they were planning follow up attacks why wait so long between attacks? If there were international terror why did no group claim responsibility? The “personal motive” explanation makes no sense to me at all, your criminal passport gang gets busted so you retaliate with a mass bombing that brings massive police attention to you? So far we’re a long way from seeing anything close to a believable story about this…
I wouldn’t dismiss a revenge attack just yet.
If these people were taking part in an operation to smuggle Uighurs from China to Turkey via Thailand they must have been, shall we say, rather miffed at what happened not long ago in that regard. (Context for the masses: Thailand has recently deported a planeload of Uighurs back to a very uncertain future in China)
It doesn’t take much of a stretch to imagine among those sent back there may be family members or friends or even “brothers in arms” of whoever carried out the bombings. No claims, no demands, no recognition, no manifesto, nothing.
That doesn’t add up to an attack with political undertones from an organization trying to make a statement, though it doesn’t disprove it either.
It does however look like the kind of thing a small group of extremely pissed off individuals would carry out.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombs-blast-bangkok/711653/60 "2015-08-31T15:57:48Z")
> [@coremelt](#):
>
> A lot of things don’t make sense here. If they were planning follow up attacks why wait so long between attacks? If there were international terror why did no group claim responsibility? The “personal motive” explanation makes no sense to me at all, your criminal passport gang gets busted so you retaliate with a mass bombing that brings massive police attention to you? So far we’re a long way from seeing anything close to a believable story about this…
Welcome to Thailand!
[Two more arrest warrants issued](http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/675228/police-release-images-of-two-new-bomb-suspects) including for a Muslim Thai woman who was apparently helping the bombers and whose husband is a Turkish national. She rented another apartment in Minburi district, also in far eastern Bangkok, and police found bomb-making materials in it. They learned of the apartment from the perp in custody, although reports are he’s mostly not talking.
BBC TV was saying the landlord who gave the tip has declined the reward. Say what? The police are collecting it though. Say what?
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