NCPO 'mea culpa' over using wrong photo in bomb case
NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari has admitted that his staff mistakenly broadcast the wrong photograph - what appeared to be a bomb-filled vest - when he announced on Saturday night the arrest of the foreign sus
Winthai said the photograph had nothing to do with the suspect, who was next to the spokesman when the announcement was made.
He assured The Nation in a telephone interview that the suspect would not be tortured while in military custody for seven days – a timeframe in accordance with NCPO regulations. The Bangkok blast on August 17 killed 20 people and injured over a hundred.
“The picture was not related to the [arrest] incident. Perhaps the wrong picture was chosen,” he said, adding that his staff has many pictures in their computers and it was simply a mistake. “I would like to ask for forgiveness on this.”
Late on Saturday via a tweet, the police spokesman’s team urged those spreading the photo on social media to stop, “because it may cause concerns in society and is illegal under the Computer Crimes Act.”
The BBC’s Southeast Asian correspondent, Jonathan Head, yesterday tweeted that the image can be traced back to the website of the US Transportation Security Administration.
In relation to his reassurance that the suspect will not be tortured, Winthai said: “The state will not gain anything [by doing that]. Anything that is not in accordance with the law will not be done.
“The suspect has the right to remain silent until the matter reaches the court. It’s not necessary to coerce [the suspect] for facts.”
It is thought the 28-year-old suspect could be Turkish.
Winthai said the authorities were still trying to determine his nationality, adding that he did not know if the Turkish embassy had sent anyone to help with the verification process.
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