Bomb blast rocks Bangkok intersection; 18 reported dead

While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, suspicion swiftly fell on the kingdom’s rival political factions.

National police chief Somyot Poompummuang said that 10 Thais had been confirmed dead, along with one Chinese and one Filipino.

Up to 19 people – including Chinese tourists – are known to have died in the explosion, with the total number of people injured now reported to stand at over 120. One possibility is that they might be the work of Malay-Muslim insurgents in the south who have been fighting Thai rule for more than a decade. A third, placed opposite the shrine, was diffused.

Australians travelling to Thailand have been warned to stay away from a section of Bangkok’s central business district following a fatal bomb blast that Thai officials say was detonated with the intention of inflicting major human casualties.

The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device that had been planted near the shrine with the intention of killing people, Pumpanmuang said at a press conference. Police said the bomb was made from a pipe wrapped in cloth. A rescue agency said 81 people were wounded and media said majority were from China and Taiwan. Police said that attack was aimed at raising tension when the city was under martial law.

The colourful Hindu shrine, a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, was built by the Thai government in 1956 as part of the government’s Erawan Hotel.

Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan alleged that the individuals responsible “targeted foreigners … to damage tourism and the economy”, according to BBC. Thailand police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP:”I can confirm it was a bomb, we can’t tell which kind yet, we are checking”.

Anusit Kunakorn, secretary of the National Security Council, is said to be monitoring the incident. There was speculation that supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra carried out the attacks in revenge; however, the bombings were never resolved. “Dozens were killed in a military crackdown and a shopping center was set ablaze”.