Incendiary blast at Thai Rath condemned
Bang Sue police are investigating an attack at the Thai Rath daily headquarters on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road early Sturday, during which a small incendiary and two petanque balls were thrown at the guard box, causing property damage and minor injuries to a s
Deputy Pheu Thai party spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said the incident had nothing to do with an ongoing conflict between Pheu Thai-allied red shirts and the paper’s cartoonist Chai Rachawat, whose criticism of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra posted on his Facebook page, caused a furore recently.
The Thai Journalist Association yesterday issued a statement condemning the attack and called for a speedy investigation and arrest of those behind the violence.
Police, quoting the three guards on duty who witnessed the 3am attack, said two men on a motorcycle stopped near the front gate and the pillion rider approached it on foot. He then threw two petanque balls at the guard box, hitting a glass window with one. The attacker then threw a large firework at the guards. The blast caused the remaining window to shatter, injuring one guard’s arm.
The guards said two other men were seen on another bike parked at a distance acting as lookouts. All four then fled north on Vibhavadi Road.
