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| Southeast Asia |
| Top Thai security adviser claims politicians paid jihadis to bomb Bangkok |
| 2007-03-23 |
| Muslim insurgents from southern Thailand were paid to carry out deadly New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok by politicians toppled in last year's coup, a top security official said. The nine bombings in the Thai capital killed three people and wounded more than 40. "The evidence from two bombs that did not go off told us that they were assembled in the south and were made by the same group of people who caused trouble in southern Thailand" where an Islamic insurgency has left more than 2,000 people dead in the past three years, said Gen. Wattanachai Chaimuenwong in an interview on FM98 Business Radio Thursday. However, he said the perpetrators were not driven by their separatist ideology but were paid by a group of politicians who lost their power in order "to discredit the current government." The reference was apparently to supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a coup d'etat last September. Wattanachai did not say what he based his claim on, but he is the top security adviser to military-installed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont. Police, who are in charge of the bombing investigation, have not yet officially released their version of the motive in the bombings. National Police Chief Gen. Seriphisut Temiyawej on Wednesday acknowledged that southern insurgents may have been behind the bombings, but refused to elaborate, saying that if he revealed more information, "it will affect the case." On Thursday, arrest warrants were issued for two more suspects, but neither were identified by name, said Seriphisut. A court had issued arrest warrants for two other people earlier this month but police have not yet said what their motives or affiliations were. All suspects remain at large. The warrants were issued on the basis of evidence obtained from grainy video surveillance cameras. Police claim to know the names and addresses of at least some of the suspects, but have not released them. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #2 They've been saying the same thing since it happened. They deserves getting bombed for their lack of brains. If anything, I think the Jihadist are working for the new muslims thai junta government. |
| Posted by: Jesing Ebbease3087 2007-03-23 09:45 |
| #1 Haw about the "Smells like bullshit" picture? |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-03-23 00:50 |