Huge explosion rocks central Bangkok - casualties reported

[yinyang]

Lawyer for accused bomber says Karadag confessed

• Published: 30/09/2015 at 04:04 PM Bangkok Post

The foreign suspect detained for the Erawan shrine bombing in Bangkok has confessed he carried out the Aug 17 attack, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Choochart Kanphai told reporters he met with his client, Adem Karadag -- also known as Bilal Mohammed and Bilal Turk - for about an hour today at the army's 11th Military Circle in Bangkok's Dusit district. During the meeting, Mr Karadag "voluntarily confessed" to being the yellow-shirted man who left a pipebomb at the Ratchaprasong intersection shrine.

The reported confession confirms authorities' version of the complex investigation into the blast that killed 20 people and injured more than 130. But it also contradicts Mr Karadag's earlier claims he was not in the country at the time of the attack and earlier police assertions that DNA evidence suggested it was unlikely Mr Karadag was the bomber.

Wednesday's meeting was Mr Choochart's first with his client since reports of a supposed confession emerged late Thursday. On Friday, the lawyer said he doubted his client would admit to the crime.

But on Wednesday, Mr Choochart confirmed authorities' claims that Mr Karadag had not choice to confess after being presented with evidence tying him to the bombing.

On Saturday, police said they were now convinced that Mr Karadag, the first person to be arrested, was the man seen in CCTV footage wearing a yellow t-shirt and placing a backpack at the Erawan shrine moments before the explosion.

They said his confession, together with other security-camera footage and eyewitness accounts, confirmed they had the right man. Police say they believe the man in the yellow shirt wore a wig and glasses to disguise himself.

In a briefing on Monday, investigators released a series of four sketches showing how Mr Karadag could have transformed his appearance from the initial suspect sketch which showed a man with glasses and floppy hair. The suspect now appears more gaunt and with a shaven head.
According to his lawyer, Mr Karadag is a Chinese Uighur who settled in Turkey. He has asked as for a Turkic-Uighur interpreter because he cannot discuss details of his case in English.

With the confession, Mr Choochart admitted his options in the defence case are limited, but wondered aloud whether Mr Karadag would change his testimony in court. In any case, Mr Choochart said, he would continue to serve as the suspect's attorney.
Noting that convictions for explosives possession and fatal bombings carry the death penalty, the lawyer nonetheless said he hoped a confession would see the sentence lessened.

The 30-year-old foreigner is one of two men arrested in connection with the Bangkok blasts, which include a failed bombing of the Sathorn pier Aug 18. Mystery still shrouds the motive for the unprecedented attack, in which the majority of fatalities were ethnic Chinese tourists. Speculation has centred on a link to militants or supporters of the Uighurs, an ethnic group who say they face severe persecution in China, after Thailand forcibly repatriated 109 of the minority in July.

Authorities have countered it was retaliation by Uighur people smugglers for Thailand's crackdown on human traffickers that disrupted their business, as well as a vaguely described connection to domestic politics.

In other new details of the still unclaimed attack, Mr Choochart said Mr Karadag relayed how he followed orders from another man, Abdulah Abdullahman, and was unpaid. Mr Abdullahman is among 17 people -- both foreigners and Thais -- wanted in connection with the blast. Only Mr Karadag and another named as Yusuf Mieraili - accused of detonating the Erawan shrine device remotely -- have been arrested.

 

[GeeseHoward]

BANGKOK BLAST

Suspect Bilal says not paid for shrine bomb

The Nation October 1, 2015 1:00 am

His lawyer believes he did the attack to repay a personal favour; knows only one of the suspects

The prime suspect in the Erawan Shrine bombing yesterday went back on his previous denials and admitted to his lawyer that he planted the deadly bomb, which killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others on August 17.

"But he says he was not paid for it. So, I personally believe he might have done it to repay a personal favour," said Chuchart Kanphai, the suspect's lawyer.

Chuchart yesterday met with his client, Bilal Mohammed, for more than two hours. The suspect, also known as Adem Karadag, had up to now stuck to his story that he was not the yellow-shirted person caught on a surveillance camera leaving a backpack full of explosives at Erawan Shrine.

Chuchart said Bilal confessed to him that he had placed the bag containing the explosives at the site. He said he was acting in accordance to the instructions of Abdullah Abdullahman, who had been staying at the Poon Anan Apartment in Bangkok's Nong Chok district.

Bilal was arrested at the same apartment on August 29 and bomb-making materials were also found. He and Abdullah stayed in different rooms on the same floor.

For the first time since the bombing, it is now clear what role Abdullah played in the attack. On September 7, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Abdullah along with a sketch artist's drawing based on a description provided by Bilal.

Chuchart said Bilal had told him he did not know any of the other suspects wanted for the blast, apart from Abdullah.

"Bilal came to Thailand on August 14," Chuchart said.

The lawyer said Bilal was sticking to his story that he planned to travel on to Malaysia. But the suspect has already backtracked from his previous claim that he was a Turkish citizen, Chuchart said.

"He now tells me that he is an Uighur. Though born in Turkey, he had lived in Urunchi, China," the lawyer said.

He added that Bilal had asked for an Uighur interpreter because he could not speak English or Turkish fluently.

"He has said he wants to contact his relatives in Turkey," Chuchart said.

According to the lawyer, relevant embassies have indicted it is difficult to verify the identity of Bilal given that so many people use exactly the same name.

Chuchart said he has changed his defence strategy and is now planning to fight Bilal's case by asking for leniency on the grounds that the suspect made a confession.

The authorities have arrested two suspects in connection with the bomb blast. The other suspect in detention was named as Mieraili Yusufu.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt-General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul yesterday confirmed reports that Aod Payungwong, also known as Yongyut Pobkaew, who is also wanted for the Erawan Shrine blast, was a former red-shirt guard.

"His name appears in the investigation report for his violation of the state-of-emergency decree in 2010. We also have a clear picture of him," the senior police officer said.

According to Srivara, Yongyut has been prosecuted in nine cases already. Last year, he was also wanted for crimes related to explosives.

Pol Maj-General Chayaphon Chatchaidej, Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy spokesman, said witnesses had implicated Yongyut in the Erawan Shrine blast.

"They had seen him with Wanna [Suansan] at the Maimuna Garden apartment," Chayaphon said.

Wanna is another of the suspects wanted for the deadly attack. Witnesses said she had rented rooms for many of the other suspects.

Pol Colonel Manop Sukhonthanapat, superintendent of Talat Phlu Police Station, said Yongyut had provided an address when he was arrested for his previous crimes; however, a probe has found that as many as 27 other people live at the same address.

An informed source said officials checked on the house that Yongyut had previously identified as his address in Ayutthaya province, but the current residents insisted that they did not know him.

Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda, the incoming national police chief, yesterday said police were paying close attention to the technique used to make the August 27 bomb and the detonating cord used.

"They are unique. But the detonation is reminiscent to what we found in the deep South," Chakthip said.

 

[yinyang]

BOMBING AFTERMATH
Erawan shrine blast suspect confesses, lawyer says

'It was me'

• Published: 1/10/2015 at 03:46 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Suspected Erawan shrine bomber Bilal Turk, also known as Adem Karadag, has confirmed he placed a rucksack laden with explosives at the shrine on Aug 17, according to his lawyer.

Speaking after a three-hour meeting with Mr Karadag at the 11th Army Circle where he is being held, lawyer Choochart Khanpai said the suspect confessed that he put a rucksack with explosives inside near the fence of the shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection.
Mr Karadag said Abdullah Abdulrahman, another suspect, ordered him to place the backpack there, the lawyer said, adding the suspect did not say why he had to follow the orders of this man.

The suspect said he was born in Turkey before migrating to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Autonomous Region in the Northwest of China, the lawyer said. Mr Karadag said he is an ethnic Uighur but has neither a Turkish nor a Chinese passport.

His client told him that he intended to travel through Thailand to Malaysia, the lawyer said. Along the journey, Mr Karadag told him he paid a trafficker US$1,200 (44,000 baht) in China, $200 in Vietnam and $600 in Laos before arriving in Thailand, Mr Choochart said. Upon getting to Bangkok, he stayed in Room 414 at the Pool Anant apartment in Nong Chok district of the capital and he allegedly only once met Mr Abdulrahman in Room 412.

Mr Choochart said Mr Karadag speaks only basic English and a Uighur language interpreter will be sought to contact his relatives in Turkey.
The lawyer said he had decided to take Mr Karadag's case because he had handled other cases involving Turkish nationals before.
Also on Wednesday, police gave more information about Odd Prayoonwong, or Yongyuth Pobkaew, a Thai suspect wanted under an arrest warrant in connection with the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier bombings on Aug 17 and 18 respectively.

Odd: Linked to politics-related bombings

Police earlier said they could not rule out a political motive behind the blasts because Mr Odd had been linked to two politically-motivated bomb attacks in 2010 and last year. Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, who has been promoted to assistant police chief today, said Mr Odd was wanted under an arrest warrant in connection with an explosion in Min Buri district last year, which killed two people allegedly carrying pipe bombs that went off accidentally.

Mr Odd was in the same group led by Kasi Ditthanarat, wanted under an arrest warrant linked to the deadly blasts at the Samarn Metta Mansion in 2010, he said. Pol Lt Gen Srivara said he had ordered four police teams to track him down.

Pol Maj Gen Chayapol Chatchaidet, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 6, said witnesses said they saw Mr Odd meet Thai female suspect Wanna Suansan at the Maimuna Garden Home apartment in Min Buri, where bomb-making materials were found. That led police to seek his arrest warrant, he said, but no surveillance cameras captured images of him at the time of the shrine blast.

Pol Col Manop Sukonthanapat, superintendent of Talad Phlu police station, said Mr Odd has a stepson from his new wife and now the stepson lives in Samut Sakhon's Krathum Baen district.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Hunt for Thai bomb suspect intensifies

The Nation October 2, 2015 1:00 am

Police have interviewed his mother and are attempting to confirm his identity

POLICE have stepped up their investigation of a Thai man suspected of supplying the explosives used in the Erawan Shrine blast.

The suspect, Aod Payungwong, has no identity card despite standing trial several times and being convicted of a crime, it was revealed.

Police visited Siriraj Hospital yesterday to see if Aod's birth was registered there.

They had earlier visited Ban Banglamung elderly care centre in Chon Buri province to talk to Anong Payungwong, 61, Aod's mother. Aod is also known as Yongyut Pobkaew.

He is one of two Thais wanted in connection with the shrine blast, which killed 20 people and wounded more than 100 others on August 17. Police have issued 17 arrest warrants in the case, with most of the suspects being foreign.

Police General Somyot Poompan-muang, a former national police chief, said Aod did not have an identity card. A police source quoted Anong as saying she had not seen her son in about five years and he had stopped sending her money during that period.

The source said Anong told police she delivered Aod at Siriraj Hospital and registered the birth there, making it possible for him to acquire the 13-digit identity card, but that he failed to apply for the card at a district office.

"We want to confirm his identity and his nationality is that of a Thai citizen," the source said.

Aod did not know who his father was, he worked as a garbage collector and frequently moved from place to place, the source said. He had a son and a daughter who were adopted by an Australian couple.

Police previously linked him to explosions when protesters took to the streets against the Abhisit government and later the Yingluck government.

The suspicion that he may be involved in the blast has led police to believe that politics may have played a part in the attack. He was given a suspended jail term in an explosive-related case.

Police General Jakthip Chaijinda, the national police chief, said the investigation would continue despite the closure of a centre set up as part of the probe.

He said he would not make changes to the investigation team.

Two suspects have been arrested in the case while 15 others are at large.

Police Lt-General Sriwara Ransibrah-manakul, deputy national police chief, said police had enough evidence to link Aod to the case.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Alert ordered after blasts in China

The Nation October 2, 2015 1:00 am

NATIONAL POLICE Commissioner Pol General Jakthip Chaijinda has ordered a close watch over the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok and major tourist sites after several explosions hit China on Wednesday.

Millions of Chinese people visit Thailand each year. The number of Chinese tourists in the country looks set to increase during the National Day holidays that began yesterday and run until next Wednesday. "We must be on alert," Jakthip said yesterday. "We need to ensure safety."

He said strict surveillance had not detected any suspicious activity to date. There is no report that terrorists have entered Thailand either.

In August, two blasts hit Bangkok. The one at the Erawan Shrine caused 20 deaths and injured more than 100. Several of them were Chinese.

Police are still investigating the Bangkok bombings.

In the border province of Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen immigration chief Pol Colonel Natcharit Pinpak said he had deployed more officials at the immigration checkpoint to facilitate the inflow of people, which is set to increase during the Chinese holidays.

"Many tourists have entered Thailand via Chiang Rai. They travel along the road from China to Laos and then to Chiang Rai," he said. He added that screening measures were strict as officials were committed to preventing criminals and terrorists from trying to sneak in by posing as holidaymakers.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Foreign Affairs helping in hunt to locate bomb suspects abroad

The Nation October 3, 2015 1:00 am

THE FOREIGN Affairs Ministry is working with international police to hunt down suspects behind the Erawan Shrine bombing who have fled the country. It has also said that four more warrants will be issued in relation to the attack.

Yesterday Royal Thai Police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said that police had found information indicating two to three suspects have already left Thailand, so officers were working with countries where they may have gone and international police to try to track them down.

"I admit that it is hard to catch these suspects because the evidence against them is not strong, but I believe that we can arrest all of the suspects," Prawut said.

Aod's mother found

In regard to claims that police had arrested Aod Payungwong, also known as Yongyut Pobkaew, a Thai suspect in the shrine blast, Prawut said he had checked with the Metropolitan Police Bureau there was still no report of Aod's arrest. But the police had found his mother.

"Aod has not seen his mother for a long time and now a check is going on to find his birth certificate at Siriraj Hospital. He was last seen at Min Buri in Bangkok and Nong Chok district," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon stressed that both Aod and Izan needed to be brought to police custody to investigate how and who they connected with.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said it was the police's duty to ensure that arrested suspects were not wrongly captured and there was no need for concern if there was evidence against them, as they were true suspects.

No links in Malaysian arrests

National police chief General Jakthip Chaijinda reassured that police would catch the remaining 15 suspects including Aod soon, saying police had found clear evidences and four investigation teams had been sent to possible hiding places.

Jakthip revealed that more than 200 witnesses had been interrogated and said four new arrest warrants would be issued. So police would do everything to capture them all as soon as possible.

Prawut also said the tracking of money transfers showed that most amounts exchanged within the group were not large, but police could detect where money was sent from.

On the effort to capture Abu Dustar Abdulrahman, or Izan, he said police were working with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to check on his |departure.

He also revealed that eight suspects arrested in Malaysia had no connection with the bomb case."For the suspicious white foreign man, who was found on close circuit camera roaming around Bangkok Military Court, Dusit District Court has issued a warrant for him for the allegation of trespass into the other office without good reason," he said.

On the Bt7 million reward for capturing the bomb suspects offered by Panthongtae Shinawatra, he said there was no word from Panthongtae on handing over the reward yet, but police wanted to be sure on his intention and how to manage the reward.

 

[tonychat]

Why the hell is the police reveal about their process of work.. It will sleet the suspect I to finding ways of a better hideout..?

 

[GeeseHoward]

Thaksin's son gives Thai police reward for blast probe

AFP
October 4, 2015, 10:41 pm

Bangkok (AFP) - The son of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has handed police a reward of nearly $200,000 for their investigation into the deadly Bangkok blast, after authorities declared the first suspect arrested was the bomber.

The unprecedented August attack at a shrine in a bustling shopping district killed 20 people, mostly ethnic Chinese tourists, landing a fresh blow to the nation's image as a holiday paradise after last year's military coup and months of street protests which preceded it.

The reward from Panthongtae Shinawatra -- the first born son of populist leader Thaksin -- follows Thai police rewarding their own officers some $84,000 for arresting the bombing suspect two weeks after the blast.

"My team has handed seven million baht ($192,000) to the national police headquarters to boost the spirits of officials," Panthongtae declared in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Thailand's national police chief Jakthip Chaikinda confirmed the money had been received, telling reporters Sunday that the sum was marked for police officers involved the investigation and those who provided tip-offs.

It was not immediately clear if any members of the public would receive a cut for tip-offs. The earlier reward from police was earmarked only for officers as officials at the time said they had not received any public tip-offs after their call for information.

- Mystery motive -

After weeks of an often confusing and contradictory probe, police last month announced that the foreign man they had arrested in possession of bomb-making equipment in August was the main yellow-shirted suspect seen on CCTV leaving a rucksack at a shrine moments before the blast.

They said the man -- named by police both as Bilal Mohammed and Adem Karadag -- had confessed to planting the bomb. The suspect's lawyer later confirmed his client had admitted doing so.

But mystery still shrouds the motive for the unclaimed attack.

On Sunday Jakthip said police had not ruled out any motive for the crime with warrants out for more than a dozen other suspects believed to be involved.

There is only one other man in custody over the attack, a foreigner named as Yusuf Mieraili who is a Chinese passport-holder of Uighur ethnicity. Authorities have not confirmed the nationality of either of the two held.

Strong speculation has centred on a link to militants or supporters of the Uighurs, an ethnic group who say they face severe persecution in China.

But Thai authorities have avoided using the word Uighur largely, analysts say, for fear of angering China -- one of the ruling junta's few international friends.

In July the kingdom forcibly deported a group of 109 Uighurs back to China, sparking widespread condemnation.

Police have previously said they believe the bombing was a revenge attack by a people-smuggling gang angered at a recent crackdown on their illicit business.

And in a new twist last week they said domestic political grievances could also have been a factor in a country bitterly divided by rival factions, revealing one local suspect was linked to previous bombings in the kingdom.

Thailand's long-running political schism roughly pits the rural and urban poor loyal to Thaksin, toppled in a 2006 coup, against royalist elites backed by large portions of the military.

Thaksin currently lives abroad in self-imposed exile after a corruption conviction that he insists was political. His sister, ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, was forced out of office days before the current junta seized power last May.

In his post Saturday Panthongtae criticised officials who had linked the blast to domestic politics when the evidence pointed to foreigners, saying they "should not receive a single baht" of the reward.

 

[THE_CHANSTER]

Any further updates on this story?

How are the Royal Thai Police spending their bribe money....sorry, I meant reward.

 

[yinyang]

Any further updates on this story?

Money went to wine, woman and song :p Twist and turns, ever changing story. Scapegoat?

​BOMBING AFTERMATH

Changing the story
Bilal Mohammad says he was 'hired' to plant bomb

• Bangkok Post Published: 9/10/2015 at 03:46

Suspected Erawan shrine bomber Bilal Mohammad, also known as Adem Karadag and Bilal Turk, says he planted the deadly bomb at the behest of another suspect, Abdullah Abdulrahman, who promised him passage to Turkey, according to his lawyer.

Lawyer Choochart Khanpai was speaking after he re-visited his client at the 11th Army Circle Thursday after the court on Wednesday approved a police bid to have him detained for another 12 days.

The explosion at the shrine killed 20 and injured 130 on Aug 17, and another bomb went off at the Sathon pier a day later, injuring no one.
The lawyer said his client, who communicated with him in English, is aware his offence carries a severe punishment and if he pleads guilty, his punishment would be eased.

The suspect said he did not know what happened in the immediate aftermath of the blast because his room did not have any communication devices or television, Mr Choochart said.

But once he saw pictures of the attack, he felt remorse for what he had done, the lawyer said.
Mr Mohammad (Karadag) said he travelled from China, though he refused to reveal his hometown for fear that Chinese authorities could intimidate his friends and relatives there, Mr Choochart said.

He crossed into Thailand in the hope of traveling onwards to Malaysia with a final destination of Turkey, the lawyer said. Mr Mohammad's (Karadag) family members and relatives are all in Turkey.

The lawyer said he still did not know the motive behind the blast. However, his client told him that the man he identifies as Mr Abdullah ordered him on Aug 16 to plant the bomb-laden rucksack at the shrine.

His client had asked Mr Abdullah why the shrine was the intended target, but did not get a reply.
Mr Abdullah had told his client that if the mission was completed, he would contact people in Malaysia to seek his passage to Turkey, Mr Choochart said. Mr Karadag insisted that among the suspects, he only knows Mr Abdullah.

Mr Choochart said he will visit Mr Karadag again in two weeks' time and try to contact his relatives in Turkey.
Meanwhile, a police source said a foreign man seen in CCTV footage wandering around the Bangkok Military Court for about 10 minutes on Sept 25 without a permit has nothing to do with the bombings.

The source said the man, wearing sunglasses and a backpack, is an American freelance photographer, adding he might have entered the building looking for a location to take pictures.

Sihanart Prayoonrat, head of the Anti-Money Laundering Office, said an investigation into the money trail of the suspects behind the blasts has found more people involved. Details are being shared with police and security officers, Pol Col Sihanart said, without giving detail.

Bilal Mohammad aka Adem Karadag and other names admits to being the man in the yellow t-shirt, but now says he was paid by the mystery man Abdullah Abdulrahman with a promise of free passage to Turkey....

 

[Pulse]

Thailand indicts 2 Uygur men for deadly Bangkok shrine bombing that killed 20 people

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 24 November, 2015, 1:37pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 24 November, 2015, 1:52pm

Associated Press in Bangkok

Police officers escort suspects Bilal Mohammad, front, and Mieraili Yusufu, rear, as they arrive at a military court in Bangkok. Photo: AP

A military court in Thailand on Tuesday indicted two men police say carried out a deadly August bombing at a central Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead, including six Chinese visitors.

The August 17 blast at the popular Erawan Shrine was one of the most serious acts of violence in Bangkok in decades. Authorities have declined to call it an act of terrorism out of apparent fear that it would hurt the country's huge tourism industry.

The two suspects, identified as Bilal Mohammad and Mieraili Yusufu, were indicted on 10 counts — none of them terrorism charges — connected to the blast. The charges included conspiracy to explode bombs and commit premeditated murder, said defense lawyer Chuchart Kanpai.

Both men have been described by officials as ethnic Uygurs from western China's Xinjiang region. Officials say the blast was carried out by a people-smuggling gang seeking revenge on Thai authorities for cracking down on their operation.

Thailand’s prime minister called the bombing the “worst ever attack” on Thailand. Photo: Reuters

Thai officials say there was no political or religious motive behind the attack but scepticism about the police explanation on the shrine attack has abounded because of leaks, contradictions, misstatements and secrecy surrounding the investigation.

The two men have been held at an army base since their arrests in late August and early September.

Media was not allowed to enter the military court Tuesday and the indictments took place before the two suspects arrived, said Chuchart, their lawyer.

They are being tried at a military court on an army base in Bangkok because cases of “national security” have been handled by the military since last May, when the army seized power in a coup from an elected government.

Former National Police Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang said before his retirement in September that the case against the two suspects was supported by closed-circuit television footage, witnesses, DNA matching and physical evidence, in addition to their confessions.

Police believe Bilal is this man who was seen at Erawan shrine before the blast. Photo: Reuters

Security camera footage from the Erawan Shrine showed a man wearing a yellow T-shirt who sat down on a bench at the outdoor shrine, took off a black backpack and then left it behind as he stood up and walked away. Time stamps showed he left the shrine just minutes before the blast occurred, during evening rush hour as the area in central Bangkok was filled with people.

Police believe that Bilal is the yellow-shirted man who planted the bomb and Yusufu is believed to have detonated the bomb.

Police said they have confessions from the two, and Bilal's lawyer says his client admitted planting the deadly bomb at the behest of another suspect who remains a fugitive. He says Bilal was induced to carry out the action by a promise that his emigration to Turkey would be expedited.

Early speculation about the bombing suggested it might be the work of Uygur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighurs to China, where it is feared they face persecution. The theory was bolstered by the fact that the Erawan Shrine is popular among Chinese tourists, who figured prominently among the victims of the bombing.

Some of the 15 other suspects are Turks, with whom Uygurs share ethnic bonds, and Turkey is home to a large Uygur community. Beijing charges that some Uygurs are Islamist terrorists and that some have been smuggled out of China to join Islamic State fighters in Syria, via Turkey.

 

[Picasso]

‘We don’t know where they are’: Thai police say they are unable to find 15 suspects in connection with Bangkok shrine blast

No group claimed responsibility for the attacks that killed 20 and the two Uygur Muslims suspects who have been arrested deny all charges

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 20 April, 2016, 5:26pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 20 April, 2016, 5:26pm

Reuters

Thai police cannot find 15 suspects in connection with a bomb at a shrine in Bangkok last year that killed 20 people, an officer said on Wednesday, as two ethnic Uygur Muslims from China accused of involvement appeared in a military court.

No group claimed responsibility for the August 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine, a central tourist spot popular with visitors from China and elsewhere in Asia. Five of the dead were from China and two from Hong Kong. More than 120 people were wounded.

Analysts, diplomats and even officials suspected the attack was linked to Uygur sympathisers angered by Thailand’s deportation of more than 100 Uygurs to China the previous month.

But police ruled out “terrorism” and said the attack was retaliation for a crackdown on human-smuggling.

The two suspects who were arrested – Yusufu Mieraili and Adem Karadag– are Uygur Muslims, a minority from western China who speak a Turkic language. They have denied all charges.

Police have issued arrest warrants for 15 other people, eight of whom are thought to be either Turkish or in Turkey, according to the warrants and police statements.

“We don’t know where they are,” deputy police spokesman Major General Songpol Wattanachai said. “The perpetrators have done their utmost to escape.”

Shaven-headed and barefoot, Mieraili and Karadag – who is also known as Bilal Mohammed – were led in handcuffs and leg shackles into a cramped court in Bangkok’s old city.

Mieraili said he expected the trial would take “a very long time”. The men had marks on their foreheads which Mieraili said came from coming into contact with the floor during prayer.

Three judges heard evidence laid out in 25 thick files on a table beneath them. There was no jury.

The defendants’ lawyers said more than 500 witnesses could be called for the prosecution and defence, and that the high-profile trial could last a year or more.

Proceedings were laboriously translated through two interpreters from Thai to English to the Uygur language.

Police say Karadag was the man caught on CCTV footage at the shrine, sitting on bench, slipping off a bulky back-pack and walking away, just before the blast.

Most Uygurs live in China’s violence-plagued Xinjiang region, where exiles and human rights groups say Uygurs chafe under government policies that restrict their culture and religion.

China denies this and blames Islamist militants for the rising violence.

Thai National Security Council secretary Anusit Kunakorn said on Wednesday Thailand had received a security warning from Singapore about three Uygurs who had entered Thailand.

He did not give details.

On April 9, Thailand stepped up security because two Chinese Uygur men linked to “foreign terror groups” had overnighted on the resort island of Phuket, police said. They were later arrested in Indonesia.