Huge explosion rocks central Bangkok - casualties reported

GeeseHoward · Sep 2, 2015

Thailand arrests a ‘main suspect’ in deadly Bangkok bombing as wanted woman offers to surrender

Thai woman suspect contacts police, family says she is in Turkey

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 01 September, 2015, 4:43pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 01 September, 2015, 7:58pm

Agencies in Bangkok

Royal Thai Army soldiers escort the Erawan Shrine bombing suspect after they arrested him in Sa Kaeo district, near the Thai-Cambodian border on Tuesday. Local media said the suspect was being flown back to Bangkok by helicopter to be interrogated by authorities. Photo: EPA

Police hunting those responsible for Thailand’s deadliest bombing arrested a second foreign suspect on Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said.

Thailand’s prime minister described him as the main person in the bombing but did not directly say he is the person suspected of actually planting the bomb at a shrine in central Bangkok two weeks ago that killed 20 people.

Television footage of the suspect showed a thin man in a baseball cap, sunglasses and with a short moustache.

“We have arrested one more, he is not a Thai,” Prayuth told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting. He did not elaborate.

Thai media later reported that the suspect arrested today is a 25-year-old Chinese national from Xinjiang, who holds a passport in name of Yusufu Mieraili.

The arrest came after security forces detained a first foreign suspect in weekend raids on the outskirts of Bangkok, in which they also found explosives.

The August 17 attack on a Bangkok Hindu shrine killed 20 people and injured more than 100. Fourteen foreigners were among those killed in a blast the military government said was aimed at dealing a blow to an already ailing economy.

Police said they had transferred 22 officers from their posts for negligence. The transfers came just a day after the police chief promised a reward to investigators for making the first arrest.

Six of the 22 were immigration officers from Sa Kaeo, while the others worked in the Bangkok districts where the security forces conducted the weekend raids.

Police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri shows a sketch of a suspect believed to be involved in the recent Bangkok blast at the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok. Photo: Reuters

Thai police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said he transferred the immigration officers because foreigners had been able to enter Thailand illegally in Sa Kaeo.

“That was my decision,” he said. “I think that when a foreigner is able to illegally enter Thailand without proper scrutiny... I think those officers should be transferred.”

Police have been criticised for an erratic investigation, which had made little progress until the weekend. Police issued arrest warrants for a Thai woman and a foreign man on Monday.

The woman, Wanna Suansuant, has contacted authorities and would meet police, Somyot said on Tuesday. He gave no details.

Her family told police on Monday she travelled to Turkey to work with her partner and child two to three months ago.

Royal Thai Army soldiers display items seized with the Erawan Shrine bombing suspect after they arrested him in Sa Kaeo district. Photo: EPA

Police have been looking into a possible Turkish connection. Fake Turkish passports were seized and police requested a Turkish translator to assist in questioning the 28-year-old man they arrested on Saturday.

The authorities have not confirmed his identity or nationality. He is charged with possessing illegal explosives.

Speculation has centred on sympathisers of Uygur Muslims, opponents of the government, southern ethnic Malay rebels and foreign extremists, among other groups.

Thailand drew international outrage in July when it forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uygurs to China.

yinyang · Sep 2, 2015

yinyang · Sep 2, 2015

yinyang · Sep 2, 2015

BANGKOK BOMB BLAST
Second suspect's fingerprints match bomb-making materials : police

The Nation September 2, 2015 1:50 pm http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nat...gerprints-match-bomb-making-mat-30267972.html

The fingerprints of a foreign man arrested on Tuesday over the deadly Bangkok blast match those found on bomb-making items discovered at a flat over the weekend in Nong Chok district.

Police spokesman Pol Gen Prawut Thavornsiri said in a televised special programme that the man's fingerprints were found on a bottle containing bomb materials found in a room at the flat police raided.

He was referring to the second suspect who was arrested in Sa Kaew province.

"We can confirm that this man is directly involved with the bomb material," he added.

Found in the flat included bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports. So far two men were detained over the bomb attack that killed 20 people and injured many others on August 17.

Prawut had refused to confirm the two men’s nationalities. They believe both used fake identity documents and are liasing with embassies to ascertain their true nationalities.

Agence France Presse reported that on Wednesday, incoming police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said that a senior officer said the man arrested on Tuesday was talking to interrogators through an interpreter.

"He speaks Turkey’s language," he told reporters, without specifying whether the language was Turkish or part of the wider Turkic family.

Asked whether the detainee was a Uighur, Chaktip said, "The passport says so. But we have to wait for confirmation."

Chaktip said the man was insisting on his innocence during his interrogation.

yinyang · Sep 2, 2015

Nabbed suspect admits he was at bomb scene

Published: 2/09/2015 at 04:25 PM http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/678372/nabbed-suspect-admits-he-was-at-bomb-scene

The bomb suspect arrested in Sa Kaeo province has admitted to being at the Erawan shrine bombing scene but denied placing the bomb, deputy police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said on Wednesday.

The foreign man, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was arrested in Sa Kaeo province trying to sneak through forest into Cambodia on Tuesday.

Pol Gen Chakthip said the man confessed during interrogation that he had been at the bomb scene at the time of the explosion, but denied he had placed the bomb.

However, results of the investigation still pointed to the possibility the suspect was the Erawan shrine bomber, he said.

The suspect carried a passport which identified him as an ethnic Uighur and interrogation required a Turkish translator, said the deputy police chief, who will become the new police chief in October.

The suspect answered some questions and police learned he often travelled between Thailand and Cambodia, Pol Gen Chakthip said.

The deputy police chief also said the suspect was connected to the first bombing suspect arrested in Bangkok's Nong Chok district last Saturday. They had stayed together, but he had yet to reveal his network.

Police had not ruled out any motive for the two bombings in Bangkok -- at the Erawan shrine on Aug 17 and at Sathon pier on Aug 18. Possible motives included local and political factors and the early exclusion of any possible motive could lead police down the wrong path, Pol Gen Chakthip said.

He added that investigators' progress in the case had been quick and impressive.

Thia media outlets reported earlier that the suspect carried a Chinese passport in the name Yusufu Mieraili of Xinjiang province, and posted photographs of it online. It has not been confirmed if the pssport was genuine.

yinyang · Sep 3, 2015

Turkish link to Erawan blast firms up
More warrants issued as suspect web grows

Published: 3/09/2015 at 03:47 AM http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/678640/turkish-link-to-erawan-blast-firms-up

A Turkish connection to the Erawan shrine bombing hardened yesterday when the Min Buri provincial court issued a warrant for the arrest of a Turkish national for illegal possession of war materials.

The new suspect was identified as Emrah Davutoglu, a Turkish national and the husband of Wanna Suansan, the only Thai and only female suspect in the Erawan and Sathon pier bombings, according to national police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri.

Police investigators said Ms Wanna rented a room at the Maimuna Garden Home apartments in Bangkok's Min Buri district where police at the weekend confiscated urea-based fertiliser and other items that can be used to make bombs.

Under watch: 3,000 Uighurs now in Thailand
COMMENTARY: That questionable decision to deport Uighurs
Ms Wanna, also known by her Muslim name, Maisaroh, and Mr Davutoglu are reportedly in Turkey.

On Tuesday, arrest warrants were issued for three other suspects linked to the bombings, with at least one of them, Ahmet Bozonglan, identified as Turkish.

Mr Bozonglan rented five rooms at the Pool Anant apartment in Nong Chok district where authorities discovered a cache of bomb-making materials, investigators said.

Mr Davutoglu's warrant has brought the total number of arrest warrants to eight. Ms Wanna's warrant was issued on Monday. She has denied all charges.

Pol Lt Gen Prawut Thavornsiri said police have coordinated with Turkish authorities but have not yet received any further information about Ms Wanna, who reportedly got in touch with authorities via social media.

Meanwhile, forensic results have confirmed that the fingerprints of the latest detained suspect match those found on a bomb-making item found in Room 414 at Pool Anant apartments.

The man was apprehended by police at the Thai-Cambodian border and taken to Bangkok for questioning on Tuesday.

A police spokesman said the man is suspected of either assembling or planting explosives, and evidence and witness examination will help police determine exactly what role he played. The suspect is likely to have knowledge about bomb-making, the spokesman said.

According to sources, the suspect admitted that he was near the Ratchaprasong area when the bomb exploded on Aug 17 but he denied any involvement.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said the suspect speaks Turkish.

He said it was normal for suspects to limit their cooperation with police but investigators would rely on other evidence to prove their alleged involvement.

Asked if the suspect was Uighur, Pol Gen Chakthip said: "He is according to his apparent passport, but we are still waiting for verification that the passport is genuine."

The deputy chief gave assurances that police are on the right track.

"This is progressing faster than other cases. It took 14 to 15 days for police to get a break," he said.

A source at the Metropolitan Police Bureau said police and soldiers conducted a raid Wednesday evening on a company in Silom Road over work permits.

The police are understood to have obtained information that the firm was involved in issuing work permits to predominantly Turkish clientele who wanted to enter and study in Thailand.

The source said the Turkish husband of Ms Wanna, Mr Davutoglu, was involved in bringing several of his countrymen into Thailand.

Another military source said soldiers had detained a Thai man from Narathiwat for questioning after evidence suggested he was connected to Mr Davutoglu. He is currently being held at the 11th Military Circle.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said more checks are needed to determine if the foreigner arrested on Tuesday is the man in the yellow T-shirt suspected of planting the bomb at the Erawan shrine.

He said Thai officials will request formal nationality verification from the countries of origin once their identities are established.

At this stage, Thai authorities have not contacted any country, China or Turkey, to verify the nationality of the suspects.

"What is important is the network of the suspects, their links and connections," Mr Prawit said, while criticising the media for trying to link the bombings to foreign groups.

The Turkish embassy on Wednesday issued a statement raising questions about "speculative news reports" regarding the nationalities of the arrested as well as those yet to be brought in.

"Information has been requested as to whether the suspect arrested on Aug 29 is a Turkish citizen, and about the Turkish passports which have been televised in the news. The embassy is awaiting an official reply from Thai authorities," read the statement.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said the ministry has been working closely with security experts and officials at foreign embassies regarding the bombing attack and suspects.

However, he said details could not be discussed because of the ongoing police investigation. The ministry cannot verify if Ms Wanna is currently in Turkey.

Meanwhile, police are asking the public for help in locating another man, wearing a blue shirt, and seen on surveillance footage taking a photo of a friend at the shrine.

yinyang · Sep 3, 2015

BOMBING ARRESTS

Uighurs under watch as CSD investigates ties to terrorism
Published: 3/09/2015 at 03:47 AM http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sec...r-watch-as-csd-investigates-ties-to-terrorism

The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) is keeping a close watch on around 3,000 ethnic Uighurs in Thailand as authorities investigate possible links between Uighur extremists and the deadly Erawan shrine bombing.

Deputy national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda has ordered the CSD to follow the movements of Uighurs in Thailand, whether they have Chinese or Turkish passports, a CSD source close to the investigation said Wednesday.

The source said plainclothes police are keeping a vigil over Uighur residential areas.

Terrorist update: Turkish-Thai connection established
COMMENTARY: That questionable decision to deport Uighurs
The latest detained suspect, believed to be the prime suspect in the shrine bombing, was apprehended in Sa Kaeo province on Tuesday and is currently being interrogated at the 11th Military Circle in Bangkok.

The CSD source said deputy national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip wants to gather information on the Uighur communities, and look for evidence of illegal acts such as passport forgery and human trafficking.

He has "demanded reports as soon as possible" from his team, the source added.

Bangkok became involved in China's conflict with the Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic Muslim group that has clashed with Beijing over their treatment, when it decided to deport 109 Uighur migrants back to China in July.

Turkish and Uighur thugs attacked and trashed the Thai consulate in Istanbul on July 8, after Thailand rendered 109 Uighurs to China. (Reuters photo)

The Thai consulate in Istanbul was consequently ransacked by Turkish protesters, believed to be right-wing nationalists, angry at the Thai government's decision to repatriate the refugees, who many say face persecution in China.

Police earlier suspected that the bombing had been carried out by Uighur militants in revenge for the forced deportation.

However, National Security Council secretary-general Anusit Kunakorn was cagey Wednesday over the potential Uighur link to the bombings, saying that the current evidence was not enough to reach this conclusion.

He said it was better to "let the National Council for Peace and Order do the analysis".

Human rights advocates are closely monitoring the ongoing bomb investigation.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Thailand has demanded clarification over a report by Isra News Agency that the first male suspect arrested over his alleged involvement in the bombing had met the state human rights agency.

Sunai: Surprised at Isra news report

HRW Thailand adviser Sunai Phasuk said Wednesday he was "surprised" by the report about the suspect -- whose nationality has not yet been identified -- and has contacted the Office of the National Human Rights Commission for a response.

The man, identified as Bilal Mohammed, was arrested in Bangkok's Nong Chok district last Saturday.

He is accused of helping Uighurs enter Thailand illegally so they can make their way to third countries to seek asylum, according to the report.

It cited accounts from some Muslim groups and NGOs working to protect the rights of Muslims and Uighurs.

In response to the bomb blasts in the capital, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has set up a new committee to gather a range of security information, ranging from biometric data, criminal records and birth certificates to vehicle numbers, Mr Anusit said.

GeeseHoward · Sep 4, 2015

Thai Muslim man is third Bangkok blast suspect detained by police as two arrested foreigners identified for first time

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 03 September, 2015, 2:24pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 03 September, 2015, 5:52pm

Staff Reporter

Soldiers walk in front of the military base, in Bangkok, Thailand, where one of the arrested suspects is detained. Photo: EPA

Thailand's junta has for the first time named two foreign suspects and arrested a third man linked to the deadly Bangkok Erawan Shrine bombing that killed 20 people, reports said today.

The foreign suspects were identified as Adem Karadag and Yusufu Mieraili. The identification of the former had been complicated by the existence of fake passports at the scene of a police raid.

According to Thai media reports, Mieraili is a 25-year-old Chinese national from Xinjiang - a vast region in China's far west that is home to millions of ethnic Turkic-speaking Uygurs (pronounced "wee-gurs").

Asked about speculation that Mieraili is a Uygur, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: “We are in close communication with the Thai side. The Chinese side will closely follow the development of the case. We believe that whoever carried out such a crime should be dealt with according to law.”

A third suspect, identified as Kamarudeng Saho, 38, was arrested by police in Narathiwat, a southern province of Thailand.

Saho, a Thai Muslim, was arrested at his home in Sungai Kolok district and was flown to Bangkok by helicopter, where he was placed in military custody, the Bangkok Post reported.

Karadag, 28, was arrested on the morning of August 29 at his apartment in northern Bangkok's Nong Chok district during a raid by around 100 police officers.

Authorities said he was carrying a fake Turkish passport and that dozens more fake Turkish passports were found in the flat.

He spoke to investigators in Turkish, but not in the standard dialect. A Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman has denied that the man is a Turkish national.

Bomb-making materials, including about 10 detonators and ball bearings of the same kind used in the shrine attack, were also found in the flat, according to police.

The Bangkok Post quoted a police source as saying that the arrest came after investigators spent more than a week sifting through every mobile phone call made within the vicinity of the shrine around the time of the bombing on August 17.

He was placed under seven-day military custody in line with martial law.

Three days later, on August 31, police discovered bomb-making materials in another apartment in Min Buri district, located in Bangkok's outskirts. They quickly issued a warrant of arrest for Thai woman Wanna Suansan (also known by her Muslim name "Misaloh"), 26, and her Turkish husband Emrah Davutoglu, who had reportedly been renting the flat in an area close to Nong Chok.

Gunpowder and fertiliser that can be used for explosives were seized at the Mimuna Garden Home apartment. Investigators believe it was used as a hideout by the network that carried out the attack.

Wanna Suansan (inset, right) and her Turkish husband are wanted by police in connection with explosive material found at their Bangkok flat. Photos: EPA

Wanna Suansan, from the southern province of Phang Nga, said she was innocent and had not lived in that apartment for more than a year. She said she had been living in the central Turkish city of Kayseri with her husband and that she was last in Thailand over three months ago.

Davutoglu is at least the third Turk among eight suspects for whom arrest warrants have been issued. “He is Turkish,” national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters, adding that the charge he was wanted for was “possession of war materials”.

The Turkish connection has fuelled speculation the suspects may be part of a group seeking to avenge Thailand’s forced repatriation of ethnic Uygurs to China in July. Thailand is believed to be a transit stop for Chinese Uygur attempting to go to Turkey.

But the Turkish embassy in Thailand is casting doubt on reports that its nationals were involved in the bombing, saying today in a statement on its website that it had not received any official notification from Thai authorities concerning arrest warrants.

On Tuesday, the second foreign man - carrying a passport with the name Yusufu Mieraili - was arrested at a checkpoint on the Cambodian border. Television footage of the suspect - who police said played a "key role" in the bombing - showed a thin man in a baseball cap, sunglasses and with a short moustache.

The second foreigner - said to be a 'main suspect' in the blast - is detained bear the Cambodian border. Photo: EPA

The second suspect's passport.

National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said authorities were still conducting DNA tests but had determined that Mieraili “is important and is related or conspired with people who committed” the bombing at the shrine.

Mieraili told police that he was not the bomber, but acknowledged that he was in same area when the fatal explosion occurred.

The manhunt originally focused on finding a man with black hair and spectacles shown in surveillance video placing a backpack - believed to contain the explosive - on a bench at the Erawan shrine and then casually leaving the area shortly before the explosion.

Authorities have not confirmed if either of the arrested suspects is the bomber, only saying so far that they are key to solving the case.

With additional reporting by Agencies

singveld · Sep 4, 2015

turkey again, they are class A terrorist state of the world

it was part of roman east empire , when the muslim took over.
they get rid of most christians in that country
in the process of getting rid of the kurds

the nazi got rid of jews, the world lost their minds, but when muslim got rid of christian or muslim, no one talk about that.

GeeseHoward · Sep 4, 2015

Turkey awaits answers

THE NATION September 4, 2015 1:00 am

Yusufu Mieraili

Embassy reacts to arrest of suspects; police chief does not consider blasts terrorist attacks

TURKEY is seeking clarification from Thailand over reports that linked Turkish nationals to the Bangkok bombings last month.

The police chief for the first time said he believed the bombings were the work of those who stood to lose from the government's crackdown on transnational human trafficking.

Turkey's embassy in Bangkok issued a statement yesterday in response to news reports that several Turkish nationals were wanted in connection with last month's bombing in the Thai capital. The Erawan Shrine bombing killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others. Another blast happened the following day near Sathorn Pier, without causing any casualties.

"Up to now, this Embassy has not received any official notification from the Thai authorities concerning the arrest warrants," the Turkish embassy in Bangkok said in its statement.

The authorities have issued nine arrest warrants in connection with the bombings. The ninth suspect, arrested in Sa Kaew on Tuesday, has been identified as Yusufu Mieraili.

According to its statement, the Turkish embassy has requested clarification by sending a verbal note to Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry, asking if the suspect arrested on August 29 is a Turkish citizen and requesting details about the Turkish passports televised in the news.

National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree, meanwhile, reiterated yesterday that Emrah Davutoglu, one of the nine suspects for whom arrest warrants have been issued, was a Turkish national.

He also urged people to avoid making comments that could mislead or confuse the public regarding the ongoing investigations into the Bangkok bombings and the nationality of the suspects.

"We have teams of specialists and experts who have been solving the cases with utmost caution and efforts," Winthai said. "Police will definitely investigate further to determine the exact motives of the blasts".

He added that people could help by simply alerting the authorities if they detect any suspicious people or activities.

"And if you have information on the Erawan Shrine and Sathorn Pier blasts, call 1515," Winthai said.

Police Spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said the nationality of the two men now in custody in connection with the bombings is not yet known.

"We have to wait for reconfirmation from countries involved before we can conclude on the nationality," he said.

When asked about the motive for the bombings, national police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang said he believed the bombs were planted by those who stood to lose from the government's crackdown on human trafficking. However, he was quick to add that it would be too early to dismiss other issues as possible motives because the gathering and examination of evidence were still ongoing.

Somyot said that judging from the elements involved, the recent bombings did not qualify as terrorist attacks. He said several tests were being carried out and it could not be confirmed whether or not the two suspects in custody planted the bombs.

Prawut said it would take about a few more days for the DNA test results to be released.

"But preliminary investigations confirm that these two suspects were involved in the two bomb blasts," he said. The suspect arrested in Sa Kaew province on Tuesday had bomb-making instructions in his possession.

"Experts will determine exactly what type of bomb was covered by the instructions," Prawut said.

Of the nine suspects facing arrest, one is Wanna Suansan, a Thai woman.

Both she and her Turkish husband are wanted in connection with the bombings.

"We have contacted Interpol for help in bringing them to Thai police," Prawut said, adding that police were not sure whether the couple was now in Turkey.

rushifa666 · Sep 4, 2015

People forget turkey was the modern muslim state. None of the fanaticism then. Now it's sliding into the typical Middle East lunacy

yinyang · Sep 4, 2015

Bombing tied to people smuggling
Govt crackdown may have spurred attack

Published: 4/09/2015 at 03:47 AM
Newspaper section: News http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/680044/bombing-tied-to-people-smuggling

Police are giving weight to possible connections between the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier bombings and Uighur smuggling rings allowing migrants to flee China and head to Turkey.

National police chief Somyot Poompunmuang yesterday said as police pieced information together, it was becoming increasingly clear that those who had lost out as a result of a government crackdown on human trafficking may be involved in the blasts.

However, he said police need to investigate further before they can determine a definitive link between the attacks and the smuggling of migrants.

He said the traffickers may not have perpetrated the blasts themselves, but it was possible they hired others to commit the crimes.

Sources at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said, based on the evidence, all the suspects who have been detained or are still sought on arrest warrants are believed to have links with Uighur smuggling rings.

The sources believe the trafficking rings use Thailand as a jump-off point for Turkey-bound migrants.

Authorities previously seized more than 200 fake Turkish passports at the Pool Anant apartment in Nong Chok district, believed to have been used for smuggling Uighurs to Turkey, sources said.

Police earlier identified at least two suspects as being Turkish.

Yesterday, the Min Buri Court approved an arrest warrant for Chinese national Yusufu Mieraili, 25, who was detained in Sa Kaeo and taken to Bangkok after being found in possession of explosives.

National police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said the arrest warrant was issued based on a passport and evidence discovered on the suspect. However, authorities have yet to verify if the passport is genuine.

According to the passport, the man comes from the Xinjiang region, home to China's Uighur Muslim minority.

He is one of two suspects currently being detained, while another nine arrest warrants have been issued over the Erawan shrine and Sathon pier bombings on Aug 17 and Aug 18 respectively.

Pol Lt Gen Prawut said it was not clear if Mr Mieraili was the yellow-shirted man captured on CCTV as the man who allegedly planted the shrine bomb.

Pol Gen Somyot also said at this stage there was no evidence pointing to international terrorism.

CIB sources said there usually are two routes used to smuggle Uighur migrants into Thailand -- one flying from China to Thailand on tourist visas and the other by car to Myanmar where they travel by boat across the Andaman Sea before reaching Ranong and going on to Malaysia.

The first route takes the migrants to Lat Krabang or Nong Chok, where they stay to wait for fake passports that allow them to travel on to Turkey.

The car route allegedly sees Uighurs staying at rubber plantations to await their forged documents.

In a related development, police and soldiers on Tuesday arrested another suspect allegedly involved in the bombings at his house in tambon Pasemas in Narathiwat's Sungai Kolok district.

The arrest was made under martial law. The man was identified as 38-year-old Kamarudeng Sahoh. Authorities also seized a number of passports and border pass documents. The man was taken for further questioning at the 11th Army Circle in Bangkok. Security sources said they received a tip-off that the man was a key member of a human trafficking ring based in Sungai Kolok. They also received information that after the bombings, some of the perpetrators managed to leave the country across the border at Sungai Kolok with the help of Mr Kamarudeng, the source said.

The source also said that according to information from security intelligence agencies, the man is a key member of a human trafficking network smuggling Rohingya and Uighurs from Myanmar to Thailand.

He was tasked with making fake passports and border passes for these migrants.

The man once allegedly worked as an employee at a Narathiwat registry office and was sacked over accusations he arranged and facilitated the use of false ID cards.

He had been jailed for two years on human trafficking charges, sources said.

However, Marodee Binsama-ae, the village head at Ban Pasemas, said Mr Kamarudeng served one year in jail for his involvement in trafficking people from Myanmar. After his release from jail, he was never again involved in illegal activities, Mr Marodee said.

Relatives of Mr Kamarudeng insisted he was innocent and pleaded with authorities for justice.

On Thursday, seven gallons of a suspected bomb-making substance were seized at a rented house in Soi Raj Uthit 34 in Min Buri district. The house was allegedly rented by suspect Wanna Suansan. Tests on the substance are currently under way.

The Turkish embassy in Thailand yesterday issued a statement saying it had requested clarification on whether any of the suspects are Turkish. The embassy is understood to still be waiting for an official reply from Thai authorities.

"We are still awaiting a reply regarding the Turkish passports which have appeared in the media," the statement read. "This embassy has still not received any official notification from the Thai authorities concerning any arrest warrants."

Thai authorities said they have informed the embassy that their investigation is ongoing and they have yet to request formal verification of any passports.

GeeseHoward · Sep 5, 2015

Thailand unveils restored Erawan statue three weeks after deadly Bangkok blast killed 20

PUBLISHED : Friday, 04 September, 2015, 2:50pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 05 September, 2015, 2:10am

Associated Press

Damaged statue of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of creation (L), on 21 August 2015, and after its restoration (R). Photo: EPAThai authorities unveiled the restored centerpiece of the Erawan Shrine, in the latest bid to boost confidence among Bangkok’s tourism and business communities almost three weeks after a deadly bombing that left 20 dead.

In the past week, police have arrested two people and identified seven more believed to be part of a network that carried out the August 17 blast, which also injured more than 120 people. They have intentionally avoided calling it an act of terrorism for fear of hurting Thailand’s image.

“The most important issue for the country’s image is to restore confidence about safety,” Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat told reporters at Friday’s ceremony. He said it was intended to “create confidence and raise the morale of (Thai) people and tourists.”

The ministry’s Fine Arts Department repaired 12 areas of the shrine’s gleaming golden statue of the Hindu god Brahma that were damaged by the attack, notably on its four-headed face where a chin was blasted out, Vira said.

“Every day the police and national security are making progress on the case,” Vira added.

A Brahmin Priest pours holy water onto the Lord Brahma statue during a religious ceremony to worship statue after it was renovated. Photo: EPA

In the past week, the investigation picked up pace with police arresting the two suspects and carrying out two raids on homes in Bangkok where bomb-making materials were discovered.

At a third raid on Thursday, authorities found “suspicious fluid in a barrel” that was being analyzed by explosives experts, said national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri. But initial tests showed that the fluid “cannot be used as explosive components,” military spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Friday.

Thai authorities have suggested that at least two of the nine suspects are possibly Turkish, prompting the Turkish Embassy in Bangkok to issue a statement Thursday saying it has not received confirmation from Thai authorities about the suspects’ nationalities.

The Turkish connection has boosted a theory that the suspects may be part of a group seeking to avenge Thailand’s forced repatriation of more than 100 ethnic Uighurs to China in July. Thailand is believed to be a transit stop for Chinese Uighurs attempting to go to Turkey.

Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gurs) are related to Turks, and Turkey is home to a large Uighur community. The Erawan Shrine is especially popular with Chinese tourists, feeding the speculation that it could have been targeted by people who believe the Uighurs are oppressed by China’s government.

China has alleged that the repatriated Uighurs included some who intended to join Islamic State fighters in Syria.

In another finding that could support a link to Uighurs, police said that a man arrested Tuesday who is considered a main suspect in the bombing was carrying a Chinese passport. The passport indicated he was from the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, but Thai authorities had not yet verified its authenticity, Prawut said. Xinjiang is the home of the Turkish-speaking Uighurs.

Authorities on Thursday identified the suspect but issued two different spellings of his name — Mieraili Yusufu and Yusufu Meerailee — and said he faces charges of possessing unauthorized explosives. Police said they found his fingerprints on a bottle of bomb-making material recovered from an apartment that was raided over the weekend.

The casualty figures from the deadly attack outside the Erawan Shrine on 17 August stand at 20 dead and 123 injured according to the Erawan Medical Centre. Photo: EPA

The other suspects include a Thai woman identified as Wanna Suansan and said to be married to a Turkish man. Both are being sought by Thai police.

The home police raided Thursday was leased by Wanna, the police spokesman said. The home is in the outer Bangkok neighborhood of Min Buri near another apartment also leased by Wanna where police found gunpowder, fertilizer and other bomb-making materials in a raid over the weekend.

In interviews with Thai media, Wanna said she is innocent and is currently living in Turkey.

Thai authorities have been careful not to state publicly that the case may be linked to the Uighurs. They have said that such speculation could affect international relations and hurt tourism.

“We have agreed already that I won’t mention the name of a country, the name of a group or their religion. Please allow me to say that it is a network, and let’s wait and see which group it is,” Prawut said Thursday when asked if the case was linked to Uighurs.

Thai security officials have suggested the suspects are part of a human trafficking ring with a grudge against Thailand. However, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, known for his outspokenness, has stretched the theory to acknowledge it could have been a gang involved in smuggling Uighurs out of China.

The embassy statement highlighted the confusion surrounding the ongoing investigation, in which police say they seized more than 200 fake Turkish passports.

“There is no clear information on the issue,” the spokesman was quoted as saying, urging Thai authorities to “provide clear and correct information.”

GeeseHoward · Sep 5, 2015

Thai probe hits hurdle; no bomb match to suspects' DNA

REUTERS
First posted: Friday, September 04, 2015 11:44 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, September 04, 2015 11:58 AM EDT

Blood and personal belongings of victims are seen as experts investigate at the Erawan shrine, the site of a deadly blast in central Bangkok August 17, 2015. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)

BANGKOK - Forensic tests on two suspects have failed to find a link to the site of Thailand's deadliest bomb attack, police said on Friday, dealing a blow to the investigation.

DNA examination of the two foreigners tie them to a stash of explosives found in a Bangkok apartment block, but not to evidence collected at the Hindu Erawan Shrine where 20 people were killed on Aug. 17, police said in a televised announcement.

The lack of a link complicates a high-profile case shrouded in mystery, with authorities no closer to establishing a motive for the attack carried out in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial areas.

The military has speculated the perpetrators could have been members of a human trafficking gang frustrated by a police crackdown. Thailand has rejected the possibility a militant group was involved.

Police were testing DNA samples of the second of two foreigners, to establish if he was the chief suspect - a yellow-shirted man caught on surveillance camera placing a rucksack at the shrine before the explosion.

"There's no evidence to confirm he is the yellow-shirt man," police spokesman Prawut Thawornsiri told reporters.

Prawut said police believed he was "definitely involved in the bombing".

Police seized a large amount of bomb-making material in raids on two buildings in north Bangkok, but nothing that ties the two men, whose nationalities are unknown, directly to the attack.

The bomb killed 14 foreigners, including seven from China and Hong Kong and wounded more than 100 people.

Investigators were trying to match the second detained man, who was arrested at the Thai-Cambodia border on Tuesday, with DNA left by the prime suspect in a cab, on fragments of the backpack and on a banknote given to a motorcycle taxi driver.

The man was carrying a Chinese passport which gave his name as Yusufu Mieraili, and his place of birth as the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, but it was unclear if it was authentic.

If the China link is proven it would add weight to theories by some security experts that the bombing could have been revenge by sympathisers of the mainly Turkic-speaking Uighur Muslims from Xinjiang.

In July, Thailand deported 109 Uighurs to China, where many suffer persecution. That struck a chord in Turkey, which has a large Uighur diaspora.

Police have established a firmer Turkish connection, using the language to interrogate the suspects, one of whom was arrested with fake Turkish passports. Two other suspects are believed to be in Turkey.

GeeseHoward · Sep 5, 2015

Hunt on for prime suspect

THE NATION September 5, 2015 1:00 am

A foreign suspect in the Erawan Shrine bombing, identified as Adem Karadag, is escorted by soldiers and led by Royal Thai Police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri, left, as he arrives to be questioned by police at the Metropolitan Police Bureau yes

DNA tests show detainees not the bomber at Erawan shrine; police confident of their link to bomb-making

YUSUFU MIERAILI, the second suspect arrested in connection with last month's Bangkok bombings, is not the prime suspect seen in yellow T-shirt on surveillance footage at the Erawan Shrine before the blast, police spokesman Pol Lt General Prawut Thavornsiri said.

Citing DNA test results, he said the suspect, who holds a Chinese passport, was not the person who left the explosive at the shrine that killed 20 people and injured more than 100 on August 17.

However, Prawut added that the man, who was arrested near the Thai-Cambodian border last weekend, was one of the persons allegedly involved in making the bomb in the Min Buri and Nong Chok districts of Bangkok, based on DNA and forensic evidence.

Prawut said Mieraili's DNA was not identical to that found in a taxicab believed to have provided a ride to the prime suspect on his way to the Erawan Shrine on August 17. It's also not identical to that found on a Bt20 banknote used by this person on that day.

However, Mieraili's DNA is identical to that on explosive containers found at the Pool Anant apartment building in Nong Chok district and DNA found on a toothbrush and a nail cutter insider another apartment room in Min Buri district. Hence he is believed to be one of the bomb makers in the two Bangkok attacks.

"At this stage, there is no evidence showing this man as the person who left the bomb [at the Erawan Shrine], but we believe he is one of the team's members, and he holds a Chinese passport," Prawut said.

Mieraili is facing charges of illegally possessing explosive materials but police have not filed charges of manslaughter against him, he added.

Meanwhile, the military yesterday handed overAdem Karadag, another suspect in the Bangkok bomb blasts, to police custody after seven days in detention. At this stage, this suspect also faces the charge of illegally possessing bomb-making materials. Earlier DNA tests also showed that he was not the man who left the bomb at the Erawan Shrine, but police believed he was a member of the network that made the bombs for the Bangkok attack based on evidence found at his Pool Anant apartment in Nong Chok district.

Pol Lt-General Sri-vara Rangsi-bhamkul, the Bangkok police chief, said a total of nine arrest warrants had been issued for suspects in connection with the incidents, including Wanna Suansan, a Thai woman who rented apartment rooms and a house to other suspects.

Police also found about 30 litres of liquid chemicals, electrical parts and other materials that could be used to make bombs at a house in Min Buri district rented by Wanna, whose family said she was now in Turkey with her husband. Neighbours told police they saw Wanna come to the house with her child about a year ago.

Deputy Government Spokes-man Maj-General Weerachon Sukonpatipak said police would have to prove the nationality of suspects in cooperation with the countries concerned, as the issue was very sensitive and it did not mean that these countries were behind the Bangkok attacks.

Asked if the incidents were connected with Thailand's earlier repatriation of Uighur migrants to China, he said it was premature to make any conclusion on the motives behind the blasts, as there were several possible factors, including cross-border human trafficking and domestic politics.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has found a money trail believed to be connected with the network that carried out the Bangkok bomb blasts, according to Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya.

The AMLO found evidence that could be linked to financial transactions related to the suspects arrested by police, so it will forward it to the Department of Special Investigation for further action.

Weerachon had said earlier that there could be a link between financial transactions and human-trafficking activities if the latter were the motive behind the blasts.

singveld · Sep 6, 2015

thai police expert in finding scapegoat when they unable to catch the real culprit

GeeseHoward · Sep 7, 2015

Thai police seek 10th suspect in deadly Bangkok bombing, as foreign man arrested last week brought to court

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 05 September, 2015, 8:13pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 05 September, 2015, 8:24pm

Associated Press in Bangkok

A foreign bomb suspect who Thai police have identified as Adem Karadag arrives at Min Buri court on the outskirts of Bangkok on Saturday. He was the first man arrested in connection with last month's bombing of the Erawan Shrine. Photo: EPA

Thai police said Saturday that they are looking for a 10th suspect in last month’s bombing of a landmark in central Bangkok that killed 20 people.

Authorities will seek an arrest warrant soon for a man who shared an apartment with a suspect who was arrested a week ago when a police raid found bomb-making materials in his room, said national police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri, adding that the man’s nationality was unknown.

The arrested man, who is facing a main charge of illegally possessing explosives, was brought to court Saturday to obtain permission for his detention to be extended. When he was arrested, police found a fake Turkish passport in his apartment carrying the name Adam Karadag, but now call him Adem Karadak.

Another man was arrested near the border with Cambodia. Neither of the arrested men’s nationalities has been confirmed.

Thai special police forces and soldiers lead bomb suspect Adem Karadag (C) to hand over him to police custody on Friday. Photo: EPA

Arrest warrants have been issued for seven other suspects in the August 17 attack at Bangkok’s popular Erawan Shrine, which also injured more than 120 people. Thai authorities say that at least two of the suspects are believed to be Turkish.

Prawut said that a sketch of the new suspect had been completed, but that police were waiting on seeking a warrant until a witness could confirm its likeness.

He suggested that the suspect was deeply involved in the gang that is believed to have carried out the bombing at the shrine, and another one the next day near a busy Bangkok river pier that caused no casualties when the bomb exploded in the water.

“There is nothing else to update because it’s still on secret operations,” Prawut said. “But it’s getting close now that we will be able to reveal. We expect some developments next week.”

The Brahma statue after it underwent repairs and restoration following the shrine attack. Photo: AFP

Police seemed to have progressed quickly in their investigation since the first raid on an apartment in Bangkok’s outskirts on August 29.

There had been speculation that the foreigner arrested at the border near Cambodia was the yellow-shirted man seen in security videos apparently planting the deadly bomb near the shrine.

The bomber is believed to have left a pipe bomb in a knapsack at the open-air shrine when it was packed with worshippers during evening rush hour.

However, Prawut said Friday that DNA samples taken from the suspect did not match the DNA found on evidence that the bomber is believed to have left behind — in a taxi, on banknotes and on a motorcycle taxi he took the night of the attack.

GeeseHoward · Sep 7, 2015

Warrant sought for 10th shrine blast suspect

THE SUNDAY NATION, AGENCIES September 6, 2015 1:00 am

Foreign suspect identified by the ruling junta as Adem Karadak is escorted by Thai commando units upon his arrival at the Court in Bangkok Saturday. AFP PHOTO / PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL

Foreign man stayed with Adem Karadag, the first suspect arrested in Nong Chok a week ago; Adem moved to Min Buri Jail

POLICE are set to seek a warrant for the arrest of a tenth suspect in connection with last month's Erawan Shrine bombing, a source close to the investigation said yesterday.

Police investigators are likely to seek court permission to issue the warrant tomorrow, the source said.

The 10th suspect had stayed with a foreign man identified as Adem Karadag, who was the first suspect arrested in connection with the August 17 attack. Karadag was taken to Min Buri Prison yesterday.

The tenth suspect stayed at the same apartment as Karadag, who was nabbed on Saturday last week at a building in Bangkok's Nong Chok district.

"The earliest police can seek an arrest warrant for the tenth suspect is on Monday," the source said, adding that the police have a sketch of the man.

Royal Thai Police spokesman Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said yesterday that police had yet to identify the man's nationality or name. But they believed he was also involved with the bombing.

So far in the investigation, nine arrest warrants have been issued.

The Min Buri Provincial Court yesterday approved a police request for the detention of Karadag, who held a fake Turkish passport. He had been held and interrogated at a military base in Bangkok for the last week.

The suspect was brought to the court and sent to the prison under tight security by police and military personnel.

Karadag will be detained at Min Buri Prison for 12 days before the court has to decide again whether the detention period has to be extended.

Corrections Department director general Wittaya Suriyawong yesterday said Min Buri Prison director had told him the facility is crowded and has no solitary room for Karadag. Wittaya said he told the prison chief to take special care of the suspect while he is there.

He said that, if necessary, Karadag might be moved to Bang Kwang Prison or another maximum-security facility. In addition to Karadag, a second suspect identified by authorities as Chinese citizen Yusufu Mieraili was arrested on Tuesday near the Thai-Cambodian border.

DNA samples taken from this suspect - thought to have been the person who planted the bomb - did not match those found in a taxi, on a banknote and a backpack presumed to have carried the bomb. However, he was believed to be involved in the attack, police spokesman Prawut said.

His fingerprints matched those found on bomb-making materials in an apartment raided last weekend.

The results of fingerprints and DNA samples show that the prime suspect, who is seen in surveillance camera footage putting down a backpack and leaving the shrine few minutes before the explosion, is still at large.

GeeseHoward · Sep 7, 2015

Police check on money sent from Turkey

The Nation September 7, 2015 1:00 am

Police are checking reports that money was transferred from Turkey to Thailand for the recent bombs in Bangkok.

They also expect to obtain an arrest warrant today for a tenth suspect in connection with the blast at the Erawan Shrine and another at Sathorn Pier in mid-August.

"But we can't disclose details at the moment," Pol Lt General Prawut Thavornsiri, assistant National Police chief and police spokesman, said yesterday.

One of two suspects already in detention, Yusufu Meiraili, will be handed over to police today after spending the past week in military custody. Meanwhile, the other suspect, Adem Karadag, has been sent to Min Buri Prison.

Two bomb blasts rocked the capital last month. The one at the famous Erawan Shrine on August 17 killed 20 people and wounded more than 100. The other near Sathorn Pier the following day did not cause any casualties.

Authorities have been investigating these incidents seriously in a bid to nail down the perpetrators.

In the wake of the bomb attacks, several police officers including Min Buri Police Station's superintendent were transferred to inactive posts.

Yesterday, Pol Colonel Wattana Yeejeen, acting superintendent of Min Buri Police Station, led a joint police and military team in inspecting apartments in the Nimitmai area but came across nothing out of the ordinary.

"During the operation, we also advised locals to watch out for rooms that are rented but unoccupied," he said.

Police have found bomb-making materiel in rented rooms in Min Buri district.

Of all the people wanted in connection with the Bangkok bomb attacks, one is a Thai woman named Wanna Suansan.

While she had communicated via social media that she intended to surrender, Prawut said she had not yet officially contacted Thai authorities.

"If she needs help with an air ticket, we can provide it for her. We are waiting for her to come forward," he said.

Wanna may be in Turkey and was likely to need help with travel expenses, he said.

yinyang · Sep 7, 2015

Suspect's confession on assembling bomb

Suspect Yusufu Mieraili tells military interrogators he assembled the Erawan shrine bomb, but authorities think he is the man in the yellow T-shirt.

Published: 7/09/2015 at 03:47 AM
Newspaper section: News http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/682532/police-say-suspect-hired-to-make-bomb

The latest suspect caught in connection with the deadly bombing at Erawan shrine on Aug 17 has admitted he assembled the bomb before handing it to a yellow-shirted suspect who subsequently planted the device at the shrine, a police source said Sunday.

Yusufu Mieraili, a 25-year-old man detained in Sa Kaeo province on Tuesday, has been in military custody at the 11th Army Circle in Bangkok since he was taken from the eastern province.

Police investigators from the Metropolitan Police Bureau were invited to interrogate him at the army camp.

The police source said Mr Mieraili had told the military authorities and the police during interrogation that he was hired by his boss to buy chemicals from shops in Min Buri. After that he used them to make the bomb at his room in Bangkok's Nong Chok district. The source said Mr Mieraili did not say any more about his boss.

Earlier report: Suspect denies he was bomber
Mr Mieraili also told investigators that after he finished making the bomb on Aug 17, he travelled to Hua Lamphong railway station and handed the bomb to the yellow-shirted suspect who later planted the device at the Erawan shrine the same day, the source said.

Mr Mieraili admitted he had never met the yellow-shirted suspect before, the source added.

Details in Mr Mieraili's confession correspond with images captured by a CCTV camera in Min Buri district which showed Mr Mieraili buying chemicals from shops in Min Buri on July 21 and Aug 12, the source said.

This police source said Mr Mieraili was also seen on camera at the site of the bombing on Aug 17 with the yellow-shirted man who police believe placed the explosives.

Police think Mr Mieraili detonated the bomb before escaping in a taxi heading to the Pratunam area. However, the source did not elaborate on why they believe Mr Mieraili detonated the bomb and from where he did it.

Earlier, National Police Chief Gen Somyot Poompunmuang said most of the security cameras installed along the escape route from Ratchaprasong intersection to the Silom area were broken.

Mr Mieraili was carrying a Chinese passport which gave his place of birth as China's western region of Xinjiang, but it was unclear if it was authentic.

The source said Mr Mieraili's connection to the blast network is likely to become clearer after the suspect is handed over to police today.

Police will take him to the Min Buri court and ask for permission to detain him for 12 more days.

Meanwhile, a combined force of 60 police and army officers Sunday raided several apartment buildings and rental houses in the Nimit Mai area of Min Buri district in search of various suspects and certain items, but found nothing.

Pol Col Wattana Yichin, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Division 3 overseeing Min Buri police station, said the raid was part of crime suppression measures as many foreigners rent apartments and houses in the area.

Pol Col Wattana said if the court approves the request to detain Mr Mieraili today, he will be held for questioning at Min Buri police station.

Huge explosion rocks central Bangkok - casualties reported

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