FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Family seeks return of Erawan Shrine bomb suspect

Family seeks return of Erawan Shrine bomb suspect

THE FAMILY of Erawan Shrine bombing suspect Wanna Suansan, who has given birth to two children while in immigration prison in Turkey, is calling for her return to Thailand to face trial.

Wanna, who is from Phang Nga province, left for Turkey shortly before the bomb explosion at the Ratchaprasong intersection in the middle of Bangkok on August 17, 2015.
The 30-year-old was arrested in that country with her husband, Emrah Davutoglu, a Turkish citizen who allegedly possessed military equipment and bombs. 
Wanna was arrested for illegal entry and jailed by Turkish immigration authorities. Her passport was seized.
Investigators claimed that Wanna was involved with the bomb suspects by renting a hotel room and a house to her husband’s friends. Thai police officers have coordinated with prosecutors and Foreign Ministry staff to bring Wanna back to Thailand for further investigation.
Wanna’s mother and sister, Rugieb Suansan and Aem-orn Suansan, have told the media that they are worried about her and the two children she had given birth to in prison.
They want the government to bring her back for a trial in Thailand and have filed a request to the Prime Minister’s Office, but no answer has been forthcoming.
“My sister has an arrest warrant for the bombing in 2015. She rented a hotel room in Bangkok and checked out two months before the incident.
“There were other people who rented the hotel after her. She remained in Bangkok for a while after checking out from the room, then came back to the house in Phang Nga.
“Less than a month after that, her husband and she travelled to Turkey, right before the bomb attack in Ratchaprasong,” Aem-orn said.
“I would like to ask the government to bring my younger sister back as she is stuck in Turkey for illegal entry. Once I was able to contact my sister and she said that she wanted to come back to prove her innocence, as she was not involved in the terrorist attack.”
The bomb attack at the famous Erawan Shrine in the capital more than two years ago killed 20 people and injured 125 others.
Two Uighur suspects, Adem Karadag and Mieraili Yusufu, were arrested following the police investigation. Adem, also known as Bilal Mohammed, confessed to being the bomber but later retracted his confession and said he had only admitted guilt because he had been coerced by security officials.
Both suspects were sent for trial at Bangkok Military Court but progress in the case has been slow. They have appeared in court 13 times over the last year and a military attorney has declared that 447 witnesses have to be interviewed before a verdict can be rendered. 
 

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