Worldwide terrorists were not suspected of a bomb attack in Bangkok this week that killed 20 people and China was not the target, Thai authorities said on Thursday, as police said they believed at least 10 plotters were involved.
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The man could be of “mixed origin”, Prawut said in a televised interview.
A man prays at the Erawan Shrine at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, August 19, 2015.
Numerous other hypothesis and theories – most based on sheer speculation and bias, but some madcap and freaky – have been discussed by Thais and some foreigners on social networks.
On August 18, police released still photos of the man seen in the video, wearing a yellow T-shirt and shorts.
The bombing involved at least 10 people and was planned a month in advance, Reuters reported, citing Thai police chief Somyot Poompanmoung. A reward of one million baht ($NZ42,500) has been offered for information leading to his arrest.
“The motive is to discredit the government and make it unacceptable to other countries when it comes to safety in the country,”Mr Somyot said, quoted in the Bangkok Post”.
He made the comment as he headed into a meeting of national police commanders, adding that he was carrying orders from the prime minister who “is anxious about the security of people and tourists in Thailand“.
The pair were seen in security camera footage shortly before Monday’s blast at the Erawan Shrine. The shrine – a popular tourist attraction that typifies the kingdom’s unusual blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions – and its surrounding had already been largely restored. “This event has never happened in Thailand, it is risky for ASEAN”, he told reporters, referring to the Association of South East Asian Nations. Prawut said the August 18 blast at the Sathorn Pier frequented by river ferries and tourist boats also was caused by a pipe bomb and could be related to the shrine attack. An elevated walkway can be seen ahead, which could be the location from where a previous amateur video captured the blast.
The Bangkok bombing has captivated people across the country, but attacks in southern Thailand have killed more than 6,500 since January 2004, according to Thitinan Pongsudhiral, chairman of the Center for Strategy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
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But three days after the attack at a revered shrine in central Bangkok, authorities appeared to have few solid leads into the perpetrators of the deadliest attack in Thailand’s recent history.
