Tourist spots rocked
Bomb spree was ‘local sabotage’ but too early to say if attacks were political, say Police; govt warned of possible attacks
THE deadly spate of violence in seven southern provinces that began late on Thursday and continued yesterday as Thais celebrated Mother’s Day was an act of sabotage, police said.
But pro-government politicians believe the attacks were politically motivated and urged Thais to support the military government.
“This is not a terrorist attack. It is just local sabotage that is restricted to limited areas and provinces,” national police deputy spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang told a press conference in the capital.
“Thailand has no religious, racial or territorial conflicts. We don’t have the presence of Islamic State [IS]. The incident was just the turbulence of national peace and order.
“But at this stage, it is also hard to pinpoint whether it is linked to the constitution referendum or politics,” the spokesman said.
Inquiries into the attacks would not rule out any possible motive, Piyapan said.
However, national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda, said there were some links to the situation in the deep South, where people mostly rejected the new charter. “I don’t talk about their [the Southern insurgents’] |political idea but evidence such as the method of bomb detonation indicated some connection,” he said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha reacted angrily over the bombings occurring at a time when the country was moving forward. “The economy and tourism is improving. Who does not want the good things happening in Thailand? Please find out for me,” he told reporters.
Prayut said people had to calm down to avoid panic and remain as good hosts for foreign tourists.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees national security, called an urgent meeting to discuss the situation. Government and military spokesmen rushed to tell the public to go about their lives normally, but with caution. Authorities would do their best to protect people, they said.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, an adviser to Prawit, said the authorities were well aware of the potential for violence during and after the August 7 referendum, as intelligence from abroad and internally indicated the possibility.
He said the authorities had followed a group that could carry out incidents and managed to control the situation on referendum day.
But he said a sub-group in the |network might have operated under the radar.
“The referendum to endorse the constitution has cooled down the political situation but the perpetrators wanted to create conditions and a situation for their benefit,” he said.
The attacks in popular tourist areas began on Thursday, the 71st birthday of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit, who is considering the latest military reshuffle.
Mother’s Day, yesterday, is also Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday. Security forces were mobilised to secure the important national event.
The attacks took place days after the referendum on the constitution draft, with most voters in the upper South endorsing the military-sponsored charter.
Pro-military politician Suthep Thaugsuban, who was chairman of the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation (PDRF), believed there were political motives behind the attacks.
“The perpetrators wanted to create panic among the people and wanted the people to think that the government is incompetent. As a result, we need to support the government,” he said.
He urged his PDRF members nationwide to support Prime Minister Prayut to get through the crisis.
Thaworn Senneam, deputy chairman of the PDRF, echoed his boss, saying: “It was an attempt by a group that wanted to discredit the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order] because they are determined to control absolute power and to retain their influence.”
