Thai junta accused of exploiting bombings for political ends

A string of bomb attacks targeting Thailand’s crucial tourism industry have killed at least four people.

The big questions now are, who did it, and why? He said it would be a major embarrassment for the junta if the attack were to be an expansion of the ongoing Muslim rebellion.

Police said other unexploded devices were found Saturday in Phang Nga province, which had been struck by bomb blasts and a suspected arson attack the day before.

According to the Bangkok Post, the explosions came just days after Thai voters approved of a new disputed referendum to the constitution which would give more powers to the military, but some authorities say it would have been almost impossible to plan such wide-spread attacks in that short of an amount of time.

“It is quite clear that these are BRN made bombs”.

A bomb attack on a Bangkok shrine on August 17 a year ago, killed 20 people, more than half of them Asian tourists, but it did not seriously undermine the industry.

They accuse Thaksin, toppled in a 2006 coup, of corruption and nepotism, charges he rejects. But they failed to explicitly link him to the other attacks.

Anthony Davis, a writer for Jane’s Defence Weekly, told The Associated Press that it’s “difficult to give much credibility to the suggestion that this could be the work of disgruntled Red Shirt elements loyal to”.

The station added that the suspect is a Thai man, but no further information was immediately provided about the man’s motive or background.

Shouldn’t they have waited a little longer to make it seem more convincing, even if they already had an agenda in the back of their head? The activists have staged small protests sporadically since the 2014 coup, but the demonstrations have been overwhelmingly peaceful, and few believe they have the capability or desire to instigate violence.

Embassies in Thailand have warned their citizens to stay vigilant and some have warned that there could be more attacks. Analysts say they are the only factions that have successfully staged sophisticated, coordinated assaults with improvised, remote-controlled explosive devices.

Analysts say suspicion would inevitably fall on enemies of the ruling junta aggrieved by the referendum results, or insurgents from Muslim-majority provinces in the south of the mostly Buddhist country.

Police have confirmed that last week’s bombs across seven provinces were of the same kind used by the southern insurgents.

National Economic and Social Development Board secretary-general Porame-tee Vimolsiri said last week’s bombings should not affect economic growth as everything was getting back to normal quickly, while tourism seemed not to be affected yet. The same sources believe the attacks’ timing, coincident with Queen Sirikit’s national birthday celebrations, was highly symbolic in light of her high profile royal programs in the restive region and the fact that most junta leaders, including Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha and Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, hail from her elite military guard.