Rush-hour Bangkok shrine bombing kills 18

“The perpetrators intended to destroy the economy and tourism, because the incident occurred in the heart of the tourism district”, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told Reuters. The office said its will keep close contract with local authorities in order to better the situation and to provide timely assistance if other Taiwanese nationals were found to be injured.

A soldier stands watch in front of the shattered windows of a Louis Vuitton shop at Gaysorn shopping plaza across from the Erawan Shrine at Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, August 18, 2015, as investigations continue the morning after an explosion.

The explosion happened near the Erawan Shrine, a Hindu shrine and tourist attraction.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Howard Fenton, a 50-year-old computer programmer from Australia, said he was dismayed to see violence return once more to Bangkok’s streets.

“The Thai capital has been fairly peaceful since the military deposed a democratically elected government in May 2014, after months of sometimes violent protest against that government”. The draft charter is supposed to be voted on next month by a special National Reform Council.

The 2006 coup set off a battle for power among Thaksin’s supporters and opponents, sometimes in the form of violent protests.

“The bomb went off minutes after our vehicle had passed the area”.

“The Chinese Embassy especially wishes to remind Chinese citizens in Thailand or who are planning to come to Thailand to strengthen awareness of their surroundings, attend to their travel safety and make rational travel plans”, the embassy said.

While bombings are rare in Bangkok, they are more common in southern Thailand, where a Muslim separatist have waged an insurgency for more than decade.

The blast hit at around 6:30 pm when the streetside shrine was packed with worshippers and tourists – although it was not possible immediately to confirm if foreigners were among the casualties.