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Thai junta chief warns of more attacks
2007-01-01
Thailand's junta has blamed politicians from the government he toppled for staging deadly New Year bombings in Bangkok, and said the capital was on maximum alert for more attacks. Exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, through his lawyer in Bangkok, denied any involvement with the eight coordinated blasts that killed three and injured more than 30, forcing the cancellation of New Year's celebrations. Bangkok's governor and a slate of foreign embassies urged people to stay at home and avoid moving about the city for fear of further attacks in coming days. The junta's leader, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said the blasts were "the work of people who lost political power". "They want to undermine national security and the economy, which could lead to social unrest. I cannot guarantee that it will not happen again," he told reporters after a two-hour meeting of the junta on Monday. Sonthi cut short his Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia after the bombings late Sunday to rush back to Bangkok. The Muslim general who ousted Thaksin in a September 19 coup said Bangkok was on alert for more attacks and that soldiers had been deployed to help the city's police. "We are already at maximum security and Bangkok is still under martial law," imposed after the coup, he said. The governent has repeatedly insisted that the attacks were not related to a three-year insurgency in mainly Muslim provinces of predominantly Buddhist Thailand. "It is unlikely that it was related to the unrest in the south because the militants are not familiar with the area," Sonthi said. "If it were related to the south, it would be a cause for major concern." Fears of a link to Islamic unrest were heightened after a homemade bomb exploded at a mosque in the normally tranquil northern city of Chiang Mai, but officials insisted that attack was unrelated. Earlier, army-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont urged caution for travellers, especially around bus and train stations, as many Thais return to Bangkok on Tuesday after the four-day holiday weekend. An intelligence source told AFP that bus and train stations were considered likely targets for attack. All garbage cans were ordered off the streets in a bid to prevent more bombings. Four of Thaksin's political allies received summons to appear before the junta for questioning, and Sonthi said more would be interrogated. Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Patama called the allegations "untrue and unfair." "Thaksin strongly rejects the allegations and said that his government, which came from the people, would not hurt its people," he told AFP. "The government should not rush to conclusions by trying to relate the attacks to previous governments." The junta has long warned of vague anti-coup "undercurrents", which the generals have cited as a reason for keeping martial law in place more than three months after the takeover. Police said all eight bombs in Bangkok were made from fertilizer and nails, placed in a metal box, and set with a digital timer. The nails, rather than the blasts, were responsible for most of the casualties, police spokesman Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said. "Their aim was to injure, not to kill," he said. Ajiravid said the blast killed three Thais and injured 38 people -- including three Serbians, four Hungarians and two Britons. The foreign victims all appeared to be tourists. The first six bombs exploded in the early evening, killing three and wounding more than 20. Authorities then canceled the New Year celebration but two more bombs exploded near the Central World Plaza just before midnight injuring 11 people, including nine foreigners, in an area dotted with many of Bangkok's high-end and five-star hotels.
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