Go ahead and bomb Bangkok

Right after the incident, the Iranian Embassy claimed it would cooperate with Thai authorities in finding and prosecuting the perpetrators. Not surprisingly, Iranian authorities then went on to stymie the investigation. Did Thai investigators acquiesce to pressure from Iranian authorities to do nothing? There are several Iranian men and at least one Iranian woman who fled the scene of the crime – back to their home country. What is being done by Thai authorities to apprehend those suspects? The message we, the general public, has got thus far is: it’s okay to bomb downtown Bangkok, as long as you have an embassy covering up your tracks. Come to think of it, it’s a similar message we learned from the red-shirt occupation of downtown Bangkok for two months in 2010: it’s okay to trash Bangkok, as long as you have the backing of (in that case) a very important self-exiled politician.

I already have several reasons for not visiting Bangkok. I think I’ll add “concern for being bombed” to that list.

Ken Albertsen

Chiang Rai