Thai police look for shrine blast suspect, issue video

Thai authorities said yesterday they were hunting a man shown on security footage strolling into a packed religious shrine wearing a bright yellow T-shirt and placing a bomb-laden backpack, before an explosion that killed at least 20 people.

“You were such a cheerful person and had one of the greatest smiles that I have seen”, Sophie Hui wrote in tribute to her friend on Tuesday.

He later posted on Instagram stills of CCTV footage he said showed his whereabouts when the attack took place.

“The government will protect lives and properties of all foreign expats, tourists in the Kingdom”, he said in a television address. They said the blast was caused by a pipe bomb.

It was a similar story in Bali where the police really did a good job of rounding up the bombers in what seemed like a very short space of time.

Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said that the bombers had the intention of killing as many people as possible when the shrine was crowded the most.

Hua said all government departments involved have planned their response to the incident, including making arrangements for victims and their families, treating the injured, and carrying out official communication with the Thai government.

“This is the worst incident that has ever happened in Thailand”, Prayuth Chan-ocha said, according to the Associated Press.

“It is apparent that there are active individuals or groups that harbor the intention to damage Thailand“, he said, adding that the perpetrators appeared to be intent on “damaging the economy and tourism”.

However, no one has yet claimed responsibility, and that has raised doubts over any such theory.

A Chinese tourist visiting Bangkok captured the moment of Monday’s explosion from a nearby overpass on cellphone video.

“There are many people still in hospital whose nationality we can’t determine”, said Dr Phetphong Kamjornjitjakarn, Director of the Erawan Medical Centre, which has been coordinating aid for victims.

Britain has offered help to Thai investigators as they huntthe prime suspect for the attack – a man dressed like a tourist who left a backpack at the shrine shortly before the explosion.

Luxury arcades and shops surrounding the bomb area had some of their windows blown out by the blast. “We’re not dropping off any possibilities yet”, Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn, a prominent Thai security expert and adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, told TODAY in a phone interview.