Bomb attack at central Bangkok tourist attraction kills 18

[GeeseHoward]

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.

 

[GeeseHoward]

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]

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]

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.

 

[GeeseHoward]

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]

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]

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.

 

[GeeseHoward]

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]

Hong Kong photojournalist detained in Thailand for allegedly carrying bulletproof vest has passport returned

Anthony Kwan Hok-chun is free to leave Thailand, but must return to face charge

PUBLISHED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 12:28pm
UPDATED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 5:32pm

Danny Lee
[email protected]

Anthony Kwan Hok-chun is free to leave Thailand. Photo: AP

Hong Kong photojournalist Anthony Kwan Hok-chun is free to leave Thailand after a judge returned his passport, but he must return to Bangkok to face charge after he was stopped at a Bangkok airport allegedly carrying a bulletproof vest in his hand luggage.

A police probe into the case against the 29-year-old reporter is still active. The charge against Kwan carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail. He was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for carrying controlled items under Thai law. A licence is required to own a bulletproof vest, except when it is for military or police use.

Kwan’s legal representative, Sirikan Charoensiri, told the South China Morning Post on Monday morning: “The court returned his Chinese passport so he could travel out of Thailand to perform his duties, but with the condition that he will return to Thailand to report himself to the court on September 17.”

Kwan’s lawyer had told the court: “Anthony, as an international photojournalist, has to travel to perform his duties covering news in other countries. His case is not serious, and he will not abscond … He will defend his innocence till the end and not risk his career reputation.”

Kwan is accused of breaching the country’s 1987 Arms Control Act. He was released on bail two weeks ago.

He said he had not immediately decided when to return to Hong Kong, and was taking each decision “one step at a time”.

“The case is still under investigation, and I don’t really know what’s going to happen next, but I’m grateful that I’ve got my passport back and I can temporarily go home," he said.

“I’m not planning [to return to Hong Kong yet], I’m just waiting for the paperwork – one step at a time as I try and figure everything out … But of course, I want to come home.”

Kwan was preparing to board Thai Airways flight 602 to Hong Kong on August 23 when he was stopped.

He was on his way back after spending a week covering the aftermath of the August 17 Erawan Shrine bombing.

Kwan, who holds both a Canadian and Hong Kong passport, said: “They should just release me, to be honest, because I’m not a criminal.”

 

[GeeseHoward]

Bangkok blast suspect caught holding Chinese passport admits to explosives charge

Suspect caught holding Chinese passport admits to explosives charge

PUBLISHED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 10:10pm
UPDATED : Monday, 07 September, 2015, 10:29pm

Agence France-Presse in Bangkok

Foreign suspect Yusufu Mieraili is escorted yesterday as he arrives to be questioned at Bangkok's Metropolitan Police Station. Photo: AFP

One of the two men arrested over last month's deadly Bangkok bombing has admitted to a charge of possessing explosives, police said on Monday, in the first confession over the unprecedented attack on Thailand.

Police say the suspect, Yusufu Mieraili, was arrested last week near the border with Cambodia.

"We have informed him of the charge. He acknowledged and confessed to the charge," national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said.

Police have not revealed his nationality, although he was caught in possession of a Chinese passport with a birthplace listed as Xinjiang - home to the country's oppressed Uygur Muslim minority.

Among the 20 dead were at least six Chinese nationals, including four from the mainland and two young women from Hong Kong.

Mystery surrounds the alleged bombers' motive but speculation has hardened on links to China's Turkic-speaking Uygur minority.

A foreign suspect in the Bangkok bombing, identified by the ruling junta as Adem Karadak, is escorted by commando units upon his arrival at the court in the Thai capital. Photo: AFP

Thailand deported scores of Uygur refugees to China early in the summer, prompting protests in Turkey where some nationalists hold a deep affinity with the minority group.

A second man identified as Adem Karadag has already been charged over the crime after he was caught in a flat in a Bangkok suburb with bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports.

Police have said neither man is thought to have physically planted the bomb on August 17 at the Erawan shrine in downtown Bangkok.

But they are confident the pair are involved in the network blamed for the attack.

After nearly two weeks without progress on the bombing, police made what they said was a breakthrough after a raid on the flat in Bangkok's eastern suburbs. There they found Karadag. That arrest led to Mieraili who was picked up three days later on the Cambodian border.

The alleged confession of one of the gang's key members came as police said they had also issued two new arrest warrants.

The total number of people wanted for suspected involvement in the deadly attack stands at 11 - on top of the two arrested foreigners.

They include a Thai Muslim woman and her Turkish husband, both of whom are believed to be in Turkey.

Prawut said one of the new warrants was for a foreign man of unknown nationality called Abdullah Abdullahman.

The second is for an unnamed foreigner seen on CCTV buying items from a department store close to where the two arrested suspects allegedly stayed.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Bangkok Bomb Blast

Chinese man accused of bomb mastermind

THE NATION September 8, 2015 1:00 am

Alleged bombmaker has told police his Chinese 'boss' flew out day before Erawarn Shrine blast

A CHINESE national was behind the plot to bomb the Erawan Shrine and has already fled the country, one of the suspects in custody revealed yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Min Buri Court approved warrants for the arrest of two more suspects, bringing the total number issued in connection with Bangkok bombings to 11.

An informed source said that Yusufu Mieraili, who was arrested in the border province of Sa Kaew last week, implicated a Chinese man and described him as the mastermind behind the blast.

"His name is Izan," Mieraili was quoted as saying. "He left Thailand via Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 16."

Based on the suspect's testimony, six people were involved in the Erawan Shrine blast and the Sathorn Pier bomb. The alleged accomplices were Izan, Mieraili, Adem Karadag, the man in the yellow T-shirt, a man in a blue shirt and another unidentified foreigner.

According to the source, Izan contacted Mieraili and other alleged accomplices via the WhatsApp chat application, adding that the accomplices did not know each other.

The source said Mieraili was in charge of bomb making, and had procured materials via the Internet, adding that the suspect was also instructed to put the bomb inside a backpack and place it under a bench along the Phadung Krung Kasem Canal on August 17.

"Mieraili has never seen the man in the yellow T-shirt in person," the source added.

Authorities have identified the man in a yellow T-shirt, captured on CCTV leaving a backpack under a bench in the shrine compound on August 17. The bomb inside the backpack exploded, killing 20 people and injuring more than 120 others. The man in the yellow T-shirt is yet to be identified. The man in the blue shirt was seen kicking a bag believed to contain a bomb into a canal near Sathorn Pier. That bomb exploded the following day without causing any casualty.

The source said Mieraili was in the neighbourhood when the Erawan Shrine blast happened, because Izan wanted him to record the incident and send photographs via WhatsApp.

However, authorities say Mieraili did not take pictures because he was worried he might arouse suspicion.

Mieraili was handed over to police yesterday, after spending the past week in military custody.

Arrested on August 26 for possession of bomb-making materials, Karadag is now being detained in Min Buri Prison.

So far, 11 arrest warrants have been issued, some with sketches of unidentified suspects. Of those wanted for the Bangkok bombings, one is a Thai woman, Wanna Suansan, whose Turkish husband, Emrah Davutoglu, is also a suspect.

The two new arrest warrants issued yesterday are for Abdullah Abdul Rahman, who is about 180 centimetres tall, and a man who is about 175 centimetres tall.

The warrant for the unnamed suspect is based on a photograph of him that was obtained from a department store in Min Buri district. Both were seen in apartment where bomb-making materials were found stored.

Deputy National Police Commissioner Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda said yesterday that the man in the yellow T-shirt and the man in the blue shirt had been active in a neighbouring country.

The Shrine explosion is described as the worst such attack on Thai soil.

 

[GeeseHoward]

BANGKOK BOMB BLAST

Bomb suspects to face trial in civilian criminal courts: PM

THE NATION September 9, 2015 1:00 am

Legal process need to meet international standards; ministry estimates cost of blast

SUSPECTS linked to bomb attacks in Bangkok last month will face trial in civilian criminal courts - not a military court, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

Prayut said the cases were serious for both Thai and foreign suspects allegedly involved in the incidents and the justice process had to be universally acceptable. Earlier, police reportedly planned to transfer the cases to the military court.

Meanwhile, tourism chiefs have reported an estimated loss of 1.33 million foreign tourists and potential income of Bt64 billion due to the deadly attack at the Erawan Shrine.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry said the dramas in Bangkok on August 17 and 18 led to many countries issuing travel warnings about the Kingdom. Economic impacts were expected to be most damaging in August and this month. If there are no further incidents, a recovery in the tourism industry is expected in the last quarter of this year.

The ministry said it would launch international media and promotional campaigns to restore confidence in Thailand and urge foreign visitors to come back from September to December this year.

The bomb blast at Ratchaprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok on August 17 was described as the worst attack on Thai soil in recent memory, with 20 killed and more than 100 injured. The following day, a second bomb went off near Sathorn Pier but caused no casualties.

To date, authorities have arrested two suspects. They were identified as Mieraili Yusufu, a Chinese national of Uighur ethnicity, and Adem Karadag, who carries what appears to be a fake Turkish passport.

The alleged mastermind, Abu Dustar Abdulrahman or 'Izan', is reported to have flown out via Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 16. His air ticket showed he was headed for Bangladesh.

National Police Commissioner Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang said yesterday the recent Bangkok bombings clearly involved foreign elements. Authorities were still verifying reports that money had been transferred from overseas to fund the bomb attacks.

The Turkish embassy, when contacted by The Nation, declined to make any comment yesterday. Sources said officials from the embassy had taken part in the interrogation of the two suspects in custody.

Mieraili, 26, was yesterday brought to two apartments and a chemical shop in Bangkok to re-enact his alleged crime. He was allegedly the bomb-maker.

According to informed sources, Mieraili confessed that he had shared the same apartment with Karadag, where a huge amount of bomb-making materials were found on August 26.

Ongoing investigations also reveal that Mieraili is close to Izan and knows the suspect seen in a blue shirt, wanted for causing the blast near Sathorn Pier.

According to sources, Mieraili formerly studied at Xinjiang Medical University but failed to pass the exam needed to secure a degree in medical technology. He then left China's Xinjiang, heading to Guangzhou and then Malaysia.

"He sold cell-phones in Ramkhamhaeng area [in Bangkok] for about six months," a source said, adding that an Internet-browsing history showed Mieraili also searched for a place to study in Turkey via the Internet.

Several organisations, including the Muslim Attorney Centre Foundation, will today hold talks to arrange lawyers for the bomb suspects.

"We still haven't received a lawyers' request from the suspects. However, as we are a foundation to help fellow Muslims and have the experience on the similar cases in the Far South, we are ready to provide legal assistance to the suspects," foundation secretary- general Sithipong Chantharawiroj said.

His foundation will meet today with the Sheikhul Islam Office, Muslim Attorney Centre Foundation, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre and NGOs who work with Uighur migrants.

Sithipong said suspects connected to the recent bombings do not have a lawyer yet.

Meanwhile, Somyot said a taxi driver had aroused police suspicion because he gave confusing statements regarding a ride he gave to a bomb suspect.

"He apparently tried to hide some information. Initially, he said he didn't know the foreign suspect. But evidence suggests he had provided services to the foreigner several times," Somyot said.

He said the taxi driver could face legal action, even though he was not directly involved in the plot to stage the bomb attacks.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Thai police say suspect handed backpack to Bangkok bomber as they stage crime re-enactment near blast site

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 09 September, 2015, 12:47pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 09 September, 2015, 6:02pm

Associated Press in Bangkok

During the re-enactment, which was covered by a large media scrum, the suspect wore a bulletproof vest. Photo: AP

Thai police said on Wednesday that a key suspect has admitted to meeting the alleged Bangkok shrine bomber outside a train station and handing him a heavy backpack containing a bomb just before the blast occurred the night of August 17.

Police announced the development as they escorted the suspect, identified as Yusufu Mierili, to the scene of the alleged handover and also to the Erawan Shrine, where the blast killed 20 people, for a public re-enactment of his role and movements before and after the explosion.

Public re-enactments conducted in front of the media are a common part of Thai criminal investigations, although they have been criticized for implying a suspect’s guilt before a trial. The suspect in Wednesday’s reenactment has not yet been formally charged but police say he was a member of the network that carried out the attack.

The latest disclosure by the police appeared to be another element in reconstructing the attack, which has growing links to China’s Uygur extremists, although Thai authorities have not explicitly acknowledged that. Authorities have said that publicly calling the blast an act of terrorism would harm its image as a tourist destination.

The suspect gets in a tuk-tuk outside Hua Lamphong railway station during the re-enactment. Photo: AP

Thai authorities have suggested that at least two of the suspects are Turkish and that Mierili holds a Chinese passport, boosting a theory that the bombing was to avenge Thailand’s forced repatriation of more than 100 ethnic Uygurs to China in July. Uygurs are related to Turks, and Turkey is home to a large Uygur community.

On Wednesday, police and armed commandoes escorted Mierili to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train station where he allegedly handed a heavy backpack to the suspected bomber, who was seen in security camera footage wearing a yellow T-shirt and leaving a large, black backpack at the open-air shrine just minutes before the blast.

Throngs of media watch police escort the suspect near Erawan Shrine. Photo: Reuters

“This place is where he met with the yellow-shirt man to exchange a backpack,” national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told reporters outside the train station.

“Yusufu said the backpack that he carried was heavy and it was a bomb,” Prawut said. It remained unclear who made the bomb and who allegedly placed it inside the backpack. Prawut did not say if Mierili’s involvement was limited to carrying the backpack or if he is suspected of also being a bomb-maker.

Mierili told police that he had carried the backpack from an apartment in the Nong Chok district of Bangkok’s outskirts, an apartment where police found bomb-making materials during a raid on August 29.

After the hand-off the two men went their separate ways, Prawut said.

Mierili — who police have also identified as Yusufu Mieraili — was arrested September 1 at the Thai-Cambodia border. Police say they found his fingerprints on a container of gunpowder at the apartment in Nong Chok. He faces charges of conspiracy to possess unauthorised explosives.

 

[GeeseHoward]

BANGKOK BOMB BLAST

Dhaka help sought to track down mastermind

THE NATION September 10, 2015 1:00 am

Police say mastermind fled to Bangladesh a day before shrine blast; Amlo looking into fund movement

THAI AUTHORITIES have sought Interpol's help in asking Bangladesh to track down the man suspected of masterminding the Bangkok bombings.

"Evidence shows the alleged mastermind went to Bangladesh," deputy national police Commissioner Pol General Jakthip Chaijinda said yesterday.

A source said that Abu Dustar Abdulrahman or Izan, now identified as the chief plotter of two recent blasts in the Thai capital, left Suvarnabhumi Airport for Bangladesh via BG0089 flight on August 16.

The first bomb rocked the Erawan Shrine on August 17, killing 20 people and injuring more than 100 others. The second explosion occurred near the Sathorn Pier the following day without causing any casualties.

"Based on the testimonies of suspects in custody, Izan is believed to have been the big boss in the bombing," Jakthip said yesterday.

Thai authorities have already arrested two suspects in connection with the shocking explosions. They are Mieraili Yusufu and Adem Karadag.

"Their testimonies are useful to the ongoing investigation," Jakthip said in his capacity as the chief investigator in the case. He added that relevant authorities were also looking into some money transactions wired from overseas to determine if they were meant to fund the Bangkok bombings.

Police yesterday took Mieraili to many locations to re-enact his alleged crime, one of the sites being a bank in the Ramkhamhaeng area.

"The Anti-Money Laundering Office [AMLO] is urgently probing related financial transactions in a bid to nail down all culprits involved in the bomb plot," police spokesman and national police Assistant Commissioner Lt-General Prawut Thavornsiri said.

Another police source said recordings from a closed-circuit TV system showed Mieraili and Izan together visiting a bank in Ramkhaemhaeng Soi 22 on August 5.

Mieraili yesterday wore a bulletproof vest during the crime re-enactment, and was seen smiling on several occasions.

"He's not under stress. He also thanked the Thai police for taking good care of him," a source said.

According to the source, Mieraili was given rice with spicy beef and bell pepper cooked by a Muslim-food shop for his lunch yesterday. The suspect was also allowed to keep his prayer rituals in line with his religious beliefs.

Security was tight throughout the crime re-enactment and Mieraili's ride to the Min Buri Court, where police sought permission to detain the suspect for 12 days.

The court approved the police request, and he was sent to Min Buri Prison.

It remains unclear if suspects in the bomb case will face a military court or a civilian criminal court.

"We will have to conclude the investigation before public prosecutors can decide on that," national police Commissioner Pol General Somyot said yesterday.

He added that police did not believe everything the suspects said, as it was also necessary to verify their information with available scientific evidence.

Prawut said Mieraili had told police that the man seen in a blue shirt and kicking a bag believed to have contained a bomb into a canal near the Sathorn Pier was known as Zubair.

"But we will investigate further before we identify this suspect by name," Prawut said.

He also dismissed reports that Mieraili had confessed to having built the bomb.

To date, 11 arrest warrants have been issued for 11 suspects who are believed to have played a role in the Bangkok bombings. Of them, one is a Thai woman by the name of Wanna Suansan.

While Wanna initially communicated via social media that she would surrender, she has not yet come forward.

"We believe some other Thais are also involved," Prawut said.

Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also the deputy prime minister overseeing security affairs, said Thai authorities would try to nail down all the culprits.

"We expect more arrest warrants. The blasts have caused serious damage to the country," he said.

 

[GeeseHoward]

One of the Bangkok bomb suspects bribed his way into Thailand: police

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 10 September, 2015, 3:31pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 10 September, 2015, 3:31pm

Agence France-Presse in Bangkok

Bomb suspect Adem Karadag allegedly paid US$600 to enter Thailand from an undisclosed neighbouring country. Photo: EPA

A key suspect in last month’s deadly Bangkok blast paid a $600 bribe to illegally enter Thailand, police said Thursday, highlighting widespread corruption at the kingdom’s borders.

Adem Karadag, one of two foreigners arrested in connection with the August 17 attack, was detained at a flat in eastern Bangkok late last month.

Police say he was found in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports.

Karadag’s role has not been explained by police, but say they now know more about how he came to be in Thailand.

Police chief Somyot Poompanmoung. Photo: AP

“The first man (Karadag) said he travelled through Vietnam to a neighbouring country where he then paid for transportation,” police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters, without specifying which neighbouring country.

“At the Thai border he paid $600 (to cross into Thailand),” he added, without revealing the identity of the official who took the bribe.

A second man, Yusufu Mieraili, was detained two days later on the border with Cambodia.

He was allegedly found in possession of a Chinese passport which police believe is genuine.

Yusufu Mieraili, one of the suspects in the Bangkok bombing, takes part in a crime re-enactment under escort of Thai police this week. Photo: Xinhua

Police say Mieraili has confessed to delivering the backpack bomb to another man who left it at the Erawan Shrine minutes before the explosion.

Thailand is a notorious sanctuary for on-the-run foreigners and visa over-stayers, with officials often willing to take a bribe to turn a blind eye to illegality.

In recent days Somyot, himself a former deputy commander with immigration police, has railed against the ease of buying off border officials.

“I cannot ignore this problem because I feel ashamed,” he told reporters on Wednesday as he called on the junta to help him clamp down on corrupt border officials.

Although Somyot did not confirm which country Karadag entered from, it is likely to be Laos or Cambodia, both of which sit between Thailand and Vietnam.

Since the bombing at least six police officers have been removed from their posts bordering Cambodia where Mieraili was apprehended after they reportedly took bribes to let people pass.

Somyot raised eyebrows shortly after Karadag’s arrest when he announced that he was awarding his own officers a reward of some $84,000 for making their first arrest in the case. At the time Karadag had not even been charged.

Mystery still surrounds the motive of the group accused of being responsible for the August 17 bombing that left 20 people dead in the heart of Bangkok and rocked Thailand’s key tourist industry.

Analysts have suggested a link with Muslim Uygur militants or their supporters, possibly enraged by Thailand’s deportation of scores of the minority to their Chinese homeland earlier this summer.

In recent days Thai media have focused on a suspected mastermind identified as “Izan” or “Ishan” who reportedly orchestrated the bombing and fled the country before the attack.

Police on Thursday confirmed the man was a suspect but played down his status.

“Do not conclude Ishan was a big fish,” Somyot said. “You might be surprised.”

 

[GeeseHoward]

Bangkok bombing suspect ‘flew to Beijing via Bangladesh’ two weeks after deadly shrine attack

PUBLISHED : Friday, 11 September, 2015, 10:32am
UPDATED : Friday, 11 September, 2015, 5:06pm

Agence France-Presse in Dhaka

The scene of the attack in Bangkok last month. Photo: EPA

A suspect wanted over the bombing of a shrine in Bangkok that killed 20 people left Thailand the day before the attack and later flew to China, according to the police in Bangladesh.

The suspect Abudureheman Abdusataer, also known as Izan, flew to Bangladesh the day before the bombing on August 17, a Bangladeshi police official said.

He later flew to Beijing on August 30, according to national police spokesman Nazrul Islam.

“We got a message from Thai police that Bangkok blast suspect Abudureheman Abdusataer, also known as Izan, came to Bangladesh. He was travelling on a Chinese passport,” he said.

“We verified the message and found that he came to Dhaka on the Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight No. BG0089 and flew out to Beijing on August 30 on a Jet Airways flight,” he said.

Police refused to give further details about where the man stayed in Dhaka after arriving on August 16 and who he met during his two-week stay.

One of the suspects already detained by the police over the bomb attack, Yusufu Mieraili, holds a Chinese passport. Photo: EPA

Thai media reports have focused in recent days on a suspected bomb mastermind known as “Izan” or “Ishan”, saying he commissioned and guided the attack, but left the country a day before it was carried out.

Thai police confirmed on Thursday that the man was a suspect, but played down his status.

“Do not conclude Ishan was a big fish,” Thai police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said. “You might be surprised.”

There is still no confirmation of the motive for the bombing in the heart of Bangkok last month that rocked Thailand’s tourist industry.

The Chinese state-run newspaper the Global Times said on Wednesday the bomb attack might have been plotted by Uygur Muslim separatists from the Xinjiang region of China.

The bombing might have been revenge against Thailand's cooperation with China in deporting more than 100 Uygurs in July, the report said.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Bangkok blast: Is this the 'Uygur' man who masterminded Erawan shrine bombing?

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 12 September, 2015, 9:44pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 13 September, 2015, 1:47am

Agence France-Presse in Bangkok

Police have released a picture of the latest suspect behind the Bangkok blast, identified as Abudusataer Abudureheman or “Ishan”. Photo: AFP

Thai police on Saturday said an arrest warrant had been issued for an ethnic “Uygur” man over last month’s deadly Bangkok blast, for the first time identifying a suspect as a member of the Chinese minority group.

The announcement follows weeks of speculation over the motive and perpetrators of the unclaimed attack which killed 20 people, the majority ethnic Chinese visitors, at a religious shrine in the capital’s bustling downtown district on August 17.

Analysts had increasingly pointed towards a link with the mostly Muslim Uygur minority from northwestern China’s Xinjiang province but Thai police had up until now refused to reveal any such links.

“He is Uygur according to his passport,” national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri told Agence France-Presse, after authorities released a photo of the moustached and short-haired suspect identified as Abudusataer Abudureheman or “Ishan” of ”Uygur” ethnicity and “Chinese” nationality.

Mieraili was arrested holding a Chinese passport. Photo: EPA

Thai authorities are already holding two foreign men in custody over the attack. Ishan, who police say is 27 years old, is among another 11 wanted by police.

Prawut said the suspect, who left Thailand a day before the blast and is wanted on the charge of “jointly possessing illegal military supplies”, belonged to the criminal network that police believe is responsible, but he was ”not the mastermind” of the attack.

“I cannot confirm his whereabouts,” added the spokesman.

But in a statement released Saturday Thai immigration police said: ”According to security agencies, Ishan is the one who plotted, ordered, and funded the attack.”

The statement also refers to the arrest warrant for Ishan mentioning his Uygur ethnicity.

The hunt for the perpetrators of the bomb blast has been characterised by confusing and at times contradictory statements from Thai officials.

Police later Saturday appeared to backtrack on Ishan’s ethnicity, releasing a new photo of him without it mentioned and a request asking media “to drop the word Uygur”.

Thai police stand guard as people pray during a crime re-enactment near the bomb site. Photo: Reuters

Uygur have long-accused Beijing of religious and cultural repression with scores believed to have fled in recent years, often heading to Turkey via Southeast Asia.

Thailand’s deportation of 109 Uygur refugees to China in July sparked violent protests in Turkey, where nationalist hardliners see the minority as part of a global Turkic-speaking family.

The warrant issued Saturday is the 12th over the unprecedented attack on the Thai capital.

One of the detained suspects, Yusufu Mieraili, was arrested last month with a Chinese passport registering his birthplace as Xinjiang - the region home to some 10 million of the Uygur minority. But police did not confirm his ethnicity or nationality.

The other detained suspect, Adem Karadag, was arrested at a Bangkok flat in possession of bomb-making material and scores of fake Turkish passports.

On Thursday Bangladesh police said a Bangkok blast suspect had arrived in Bangladesh on August 16 before flying out to Beijing on August 30.

But local Thai media reports have said the suspect flew on to Turkey rather than China.

 

[GeeseHoward]

BANGKOK BLAST

Warrant issued for bomb 'mastermind'

THE SUNDAY NATION September 13, 2015 1:00 am

Police reject reports he had flown to China; Also deny rumours that bomber and another man were nabbed near Malaysia border

AN arrest warrant was issued yesterday for a foreign man allegedly involved in last month's Erawan Shrine bombing.

Bangkok's Min Buri Court accepted a police request to issue an arrest warrant for Abudustar Abdulrahman, or Izan, suspected of being the mastermind of the Erawan Shrine bombing, who fled Thailand one day ahead of the bombing, according to an informed source.

The source said the warrant was for a charge of conspiring to have military equipment in possession without permission. Witnesses said he had stayed at the Nong Chok apartment where the two captured suspects - Adem Karadag and Mieraili Yusufu - had resided.

Meanwhile, the police yesterday dismissed media reports that two key suspects in the bombing case - the man in a yellow shirt who planted the bomb at Erawan Shrine and a man in a blue shirt who detonated another bomb at Sathorn Pier - had been arrested in Malaysia.

Royal Thai Police spokesman General Prawut Thavornsiri also clarified yesterday that deputy national police chief General Jakthip Chaijinda had not travelled to Malaysia to take custody of two suspects from Malaysian authorities, as reported by some media.

According to the spokesman, police have sought cooperation from different countries to help find the two suspects.

He also rejected media reports that "Izan" had flown to China. "We found that those reports are untrue."

Suspects to move to Army base

Tomorrow, Karadag and Mieraili will be moved to the 11th Military Circle compound, which is now used as a special detention facility, Corrections Department director-general Wittaya Suriyawong said yesterday.

Wittaya also affirmed it was necessary for the Bangkok Remand Prison chief to appoint military officers as special prison guards at this special detention facility, so as to provide them the authority under the Corrections Act.

Initially the facility, where Karadag and Mieraili would be held separately, would require 20-30 soldiers to guard them, he said.

The Bangkok Remand Prison would also send one or two guards on a daily basis to advise the military officers about detention administration and visitor arrangements, he said. Throughout the time the duo was detained at Min Buri Prison, they had no visitors.

Two bomb blasts rocked Bangkok last month. One on August 17 targeted the Erawan Shrine, killing 20 people and injuring over 100 others. The other blast took place near Sathorn Pier the next day but did not cause any casualties.

In a related development, police investigators and military officers conducted a search of an apartment in Suan Luang district on Friday night that was rented by a 40-year-old Pakistani man, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

The man, identified as Abdul Thawub, had twice transferred money to a bank account belonging to a Turkish man who is the husband of Thai woman Wanna Suanson. The couple is wanted by police in connection with the blasts.

The Pakistani man was not in the room at the time of search. The building manager told police the man had left his room on September 5 and had not returned since.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Malaysia arrests three suspects in connection with Bangkok shrine bombing

PUBLISHED : Monday, 14 September, 2015, 1:20pm
UPDATED : Monday, 14 September, 2015, 1:25pm

Reuters in Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested. Photo: EPA

Malaysia has arrested three suspects in connection with the investigation into a bomb blast in central Bangkok last month that killed 20 people, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday.

Two Malaysians and a Pakistani national were arrested and were assisting with the investigation, Khalid told reporters.

"We believe the suspects can help in the investigation... our arrest was made to assist the Thai police in the Thai bombing investigation," he said. "Malaysian and Thai police are working closely in cooperation."

No group has claimed responsibility for the August 17 attack at the Erawan Shrine shrine in Bangkok, which killed 20 people, including 14 foreign tourists, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China.

The attack killed 20 people, the majority of them Chinese visitors, at a religious shrine in the capital’s bustling downtown district on August 17. Photo: EPA

Thai police have been heavily criticised over the investigation and over statements from top officials about possible perpetrators, motives and information extracted from suspects which have been contradictory, speculative and often cryptic.

Khalid said the Pakistani suspect is male while one of the local suspects is female and the other is male. He said there were no plans to move the suspects to Thailand yet.

Khalid also said Malaysian police were unsure if the main suspect was in Malaysia. The Thai investigation unearthed a lead earlier this month that suspected bomber may have crossed Thailand’s southern border into Malaysia.

 

[GeeseHoward]

Thai police chief links China's Uygur minority to Bangkok bomb for the first time

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 5:22pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 15 September, 2015, 7:29pm

Agence France-Presse

Police investigate the scene at the Erawan Shrine after an explosion in Bangkok on August 17, 2015. Photo: AP

Thailand’s police chief on Tuesday linked the Bangkok bomb to China’s Uygur minority, the first time he has referenced the ethnic group after weeks of skirting around their possible involvement in the attack.

Police believe Abudusataer Abudureheman, also known as Ishan from China's Xinjiang province, organised the bombing, which killed 20 people. Photo: AFP

The August 17 bombing killed 20 people, among them seven from Hong Kong and mainland China, raising the possibility of a link to militants or supporters of the Uygurs, an ethnic group who say they face heavy persecution in China.

A month earlier Thailand had forcibly deported more than 100 Uygur refugees to China, sparking international condemnation as well as violent protests in Turkey, where nationalist hardliners see the minority as part of a global Turkic-speaking family.

Police however blame a gang of people smugglers for the attack, motivated by revenge for a crackdown on their lucrative trade through Thailand, a motive which has been widely dismissed by security experts.

“The cause was the human trafficking networks -- networks transferring Uygurs from one country to another. Thai authorities destroyed or obstructed their human trafficking businesses,” Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters on Tuesday, explaining the apparent motive for the attack.

A woman worships to a statue of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation, at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok last week. Photo: EPA

It was the first time Thai police have formally referenced the Uygurs in relation to the case, after issuing a retraction of a mention of the group over the weekend.

Analysts say Thailand is keen to avoid naming Uygurs for economic and diplomatic reasons.

Chinese visitors are a linch pin of the tourist industry, and Beijing remains one of the increasingly isolated Thai junta’s few international allies.

But arrest warrants, passports and travel itineraries of the main suspects all point towards the involvement of militants from the ethnic group or their supporters.

Nearly a month on, Thailand has two foreigners in custody and a dozen arrest warrants issued.

One of the two suspects in custody, Yusufu Mieraili, was arrested with a Chinese passport that gave a Xinjiang birthplace.

Almost all the other identified suspects have Turkish sounding names or links.

Mostly Muslim Uygurs have long accused Beijing of religious and cultural repression in China’s far western Xinjiang region, with hundreds of refugees believed to have fled in recent years, often heading to Turkey via Southeast Asia.