Pirates plant harmless bomb after robbing Thai oil ship
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A bomb planted on a Thai oil ship, which had been robbed by pirates in the Straits of Malacca, had a circuit panel and battery but no gunpowder, Royal Thai Navy's Third Area Command chief Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej said yesterday.
On Friday, pirates attacked “Lapin”, which was carrying oil from Singapore to a power plant in Krabi province, before leaving the bomb onboard and making off with 2,000 tonnes of bunker oil and 5,000 litres of diesel. The ship eventually ran out of power and anchored near Koh Tarutao off Satun province, giving the captain a chance to seek help on Sunday.
An ordnance disposal team disarmed the bomb yesterday afternoon and after discovering that it had no gunpowder reckoned it may have been planted with the intent of threatening the crew, Sayan said. He said Satun police would interview the 15 crewmembers.
This was the first pirate attack on the Andaman side after five to six attacks in the Southern China Sea, he said, adding that Thai waters would be patrolled more frequently to prevent it happening again.
