2006 Bangkok bombings - Wikipedia
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Bangkok_bombings
| 2006 Bangkok Bombings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Target(s) | 8 locations (map) : • Bus stop (Victory Monument) |
| Date | 31 December 2006–1 January 2007 18:00 PM – 00:05 AM (UTC+7) |
| Attack Type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | ~ 38 |
The 2006 Bangkok bombings occurred on December 31, 2006 and January 1, 2007, during New Year's Eve festivities in the Thai capital. Four explosions went off almost simultaneously in different parts of the city at around 6:00 p.m. local time (1100 GMT). There were at least seven small explosions taking place within 90 minutes of each other, in the capital and the surrounding metropolitan area. In total, eight explosions occurred during the night. As of January 1, 2007, three people were confirmed dead and more than 38 injured.[1]
Authorities ordered all public New Year's Eve events cancelled, including the countdown at the CentralWorld shopping center and the alms-giving at Sanam Luang.[2]
One man was arrested carrying an explosive device. Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombings, and both the Thai Rak Thai party and deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra denied involvement.[3] The initials "IRK" were found written in marker in four places at three bomb sites. The IRK is a an Afghanistan-trained urban guerilla terrorism unit.[4] However, Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya shrugged off suggestions that the culprits were Muslim terrorists.[5] A meeting between Premier Surayud Chulanont and various security and intelligence agencies on the evening of December 31 failed to officially identify culprits for the attacks.[6] However, on January 1, Surayud announced that the bombings had nothing to do with the southern insurgency, noting that, "I don't think they would come here as they could get lost in Bangkok."[7] Surayud blamed the "old power clique" was behind the bombings. However, he noted that he was not referring only to the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra, but to all those who had lost political power due to the coup.[8]
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Bombings
Six explosives went off almost simultaneously in Bangkok, killing three and injuring at least 36 people, as revellers were about to start celebrating the New Year's Eve.
- Victory Monument. Seventeen people were injured. Two Thais died at the hospital from injuries. The bomb was placed in a bus-stop shelter and went off at around 6:00 p.m. A second bomb went off nearby shortly after.[9][10][11] One Hungarian was reported injured.[12] The bomb ripped through the bus stops, shattered windows at the nearby restaurant and sent debris in all directions.
- Khlong Toei, near the Na Ranong intersection. A bomb hidden in a trash can near a Chinese spirit shrine exploded and injured three people, including a 10-year-old girl. A 61-year-old man died at the hospital from injuries. The explosion caused a secondary explosion in a number of cooking gas cylinders that were situated nearby.[9]
- Saphan Khwai intersection, Phaya Thai District. Another bomb went off at a police box. Two people were injured. Witnesses saw a man dropping a grenade from a pedestrian bridge onto the police box, seriously injuring 1 person. Residue of C4 and TNT were found at the scene.[9]
- Seacon Square Shopping Mall, Prawet District. An unexploded bomb was found in a trash can near a gold shop on the first floor inside the mall. It was removed to the carpark where it exploded, creating panic but causing no injuries. Authorities ordered all shoppers to evacuate the mall, one of Bangkok's largest, and all shops to close.[9]
- Khae Rai intersection, Mueang district, Nonthaburi Province (). A police box was bombed but no injuries were reported.[9]
- Sukhumvit Soi 62. A police box at the entrance of the soi was bombed, but no injuries were reported.[9]
New Year's celebrations at CentralWorld and Sanam Luang were cancelled.[13]
However, two more bombs exploded almost immediately after midnight in the vicinity of CentralWorld. Three Serbs, two Englishmen, two Thais, and one Irishman were among those injured.
- Best Sea Foods restaurant on Khlong Saen Saeb near Pratunam Pier and CentralWorld. Three foreigners and two Thais were injured. One of the foreigners' legs was blown off by the blast. The foreign tourists were having dinner at the restaurant.[14][2]
- A public telephone booth at the pedestrian flyover linking CentralWorld and Gaysorn Plaza. Several foreigners were injured.[14][2]
- Three additional unexploded bombs were found in the area.[citation needed]
Khaosan Road, where a bomb was found undetonated
Police investigated several other incidents.
- A suspected bomb was investigated at the Buddy Bar on Khaosan Road about half an hour after midnight. Tourists had earlier been ordered to leave the area.[14] The bomb report later turned out to be false.[15]
- By 1 a.m., police disabled another bomb at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar before the bomb could explode.[14][2]
[edit] Victims
The wave of bombings claimed three deaths, all of whom where Thai nationals: two individuals were killed at the moment of the explosion, while one died after being brought to the hospital. Songkran Kanchana, 36 and Ekkachai Ruangpoom, 26, were at the Victory Monument, while Suvichai Nak-iam, 61, was at Khlong Toei.
An additional 38 persons standing nearby the blast zones were also injured. Amongst the victims, eight foreigners were hurt: 2 British men, 3 Hungarians, 2 Serbs and 1 American.[1].
| Location | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Victory Monument | 2 Thai | 15 (1 Hungarian, ?) |
| Khlong Toei | 1 Thai | 6 |
| Saphan Khwai | 0 | 2 |
| Seacon Square Shopping Mall | 0 | 0 |
| Khae Rai Intersection (Thai: สี่แยกแคราย) | 0 | 0 |
| Sukhumvit Soi 62 | 0 | 0 |
| CentralWorld (Best Sea Foods restaurant) | 0 | 2 Thais 3 foreigners |
| CentralWorld (pedestrian flyover) | 0 | 6 foreigners |
| Total | 3 | ~38 |
[edit] Bombs
Police General Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj claimed that all eight bombs were placed in 3x5-inch boxes and detonated by digital alarm clock. Traces of M4 high explosive booster were found in all of the bombs.[16] Other military ordinance sources claimed the bombs were all Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO)/M4 bombs.[17] This would make the bombs the same type as found in a car outside of Thaksin Shinawatra residence in August 2006 .
[edit] Responsibility
[edit] Forewarning of the bombings
Authorities had earlier warned of an escalation of the South Thailand insurgency during the New Year period.[18]
Thai Military Intelligence and the Special Branch received intelligence that there would be bombs in up to 30 places in Bangkok and surrounding areas, particularly popular shopping malls like Siam Paragon, the Mall Bangkapi, and Seacon Square.[19]
[edit] Identify of the bombers
Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombings, and both the Thai Rak Thai party and deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra denied involvement.[3]
The initials "IRK" were found written in marker in four places at three bomb sites - a pillar near a bus stop at Victory Monument, a phone booth near Gaysorn Plaza, a phone booth near Pratunam Pier, and a phone booth near Big C Rajdamri. The IRK is a an Afghanistan-trained urban guerilla terrorism unit. However, Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya shrugged off suggestions that the culprits were Muslim militants.[20] Senior junta leadership agreed that Muslim terrorists were not involved, and that the initials were meant to frame the IRK and muddy the waters.[21]
The junta attributed the bombings to various groups. Government security sources blamed the "old power clique," a possible reference to members of the government of deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra.[22] Other security sources said that the bombings might provide the junta with reason to seize Thaksin's sizable personal assets.[23] The Thai Rak Thai party denied orchestrating the bombings and warned the junta not to point fingers without facts.[24] "Based on the government's information and intelligence agencies, it was the work of people who lost power, but I cannot clearly say which group was behind it," he said.[25]
Anti-Thaksin newspaper editor Sondhi Limthongkul said he believed the bombings were orchestrated by "undercurrents", supporters of the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra, who wanted to discredit the junta, but he cited no evidence.[26]
A meeting between Premier Surayud Chulanont and various security and intelligence agencies on the evening of December 31 failed to officially identify culprits for the attacks.[27]
However, on January 1, Surayud announced that the bombings had nothing to do with the southern insurgency, noting that, "I don't think they would come here as they could get lost in Bangkok."[28] He claimed that the "old power clique" was the mastermind. He claimed that he was not referring only to the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra, but to all those who had lost political power due to the coup.[29]
[edit] Aftermath
[edit] Further bombings
On January 1 2007, an explosion occurred inside a mosque in Chiang Mai, injuring four people. The mosque keeper claimed that a grenade had been lobbed in, but an army bomb expert claimed the blast was caused by the premature explosion of a bomb being built by the mosque keeper[30].
[edit] Security measures and junta responses
Several foreign embassies issued travel warnings to their citizens in Bangkok warning that further attacks are possible.[31]
The junta ordered the military to the streets of Bangkok to control the situation. 6,000 checkpoints were setup throughout Bangkok. Army Commanders for the North, Northeast, and the South are on placed on alert. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayothin ordered all 50 districts in Bangkok to collect all their rubbish bins.[32][33]
Junta head Sonthi Boonratkalin cut short his hajj and flew back from Saudi Arabia to meet with the junta leadership in the afternoon of January 1, 2007[34] Later on that same day, assistant police commissioner Jongrak Juthanon was assigned to lead an investigation into the deadly incidents.[35]
[edit] References
- ^ a b BBCNews, Thai PM blames rivals for blasts, January 1, 2007
- ^ a b c d New Year's Eve bombs kill 2 in Bangkok, Associated Press, 31 December 2006.
- ^ a b The Nation, Ousted PM denies involvement in New Year's eve bomb attacks, January 1, 2007
- ^ Thai Rath, สุรยุทธ์-ประณาม แก๊งป่วน ผู้สูญเสียอํานาจ, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Militants not seen as likely culprits, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Meeting fails to establish culprits of Bangkok bomb attacks: spokesman, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, Suspicion falls on Thaksin allies, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Surayud blames old power clique behind Bangkok bomb attacks, January 1, 2007
- ^ a b c d e f The Nation, String of blasts rock Bangkok, killing 2, January 1, 2007.
- ^ Festivities off as bombs disrupt Bangkok; two dead, 25 injured, MCOT, December 31, 2006.
- ^ The Nation, Bangkok bomb death toll rises to three, 1 January 2007
- ^ http://www.2bangkok.com/
- ^ The Nation, New Yew countdown cancelled after bombs, January 1, 2007
- ^ a b c d The Nation, Two more bombs explode at Central World, Pratunam, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Age, Two die in Bangkok blasts, January 1 2007.
- ^ The Nation, Who set the bombs? The mystery can only deepen, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Militants not seen as likely culprits, 2 January 2007
- ^ Sunday Herald, Authorities fear new year attacks from militants, December 31, 2006
- ^ Thai Rath, 1 January 2006
- ^ The Nation, Militants not seen as likely culprits, 2 January 2007
- ^ Thai Rath, สุรยุทธ์-ประณาม แก๊งป่วน ผู้สูญเสียอํานาจ, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Old power clique suspected of being behind Bangkok bomb attacks: source, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, CNS may seize Thaksin's assets following bomb attacks: source, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, TRT denies masterminding bombs, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, Surayud suspects "power losers", January 1, 2007
- ^ Manager.com, “สนธิ”ฟันธงฝีมือคลื่นใต้น้ำบึ้มป่วนกรุง สั่งสอน คมช.-รัฐบาล, December 31, 2006
- ^ The Nation, Meeting fails to establish culprits of Bangkok bomb attacks: spokesman, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, Suspicion falls on Thaksin allies, 2 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Surayud blames old power clique behind Bangkok bomb attacks, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, Grenade lobbed into Chiang Mai mosque, January 1, 2007
- ^ The Nation, Foreign embassies issue travel warning on Bangkok, January 1, 2007
- ^ Thai Rath, 1 January 2007
- ^ Matichon, 1 January 2007
- ^ The Nation, Sonthi to return to Bangkok this afternoon, January 1, 2007
- ^ Bangkok Post, Bomb type identified, chief investigator named, January 1, 2007
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