City bomb blast startles NCPO
Govt wary of unrest before anniversary
Security organisations have been instructed to step up security measures, including inspecting security cameras installed in public areas, especially in large cities, ahead of the third anniversary of the regime seizing power, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said yesterday.
The move follows a bomb blast near Sanam Luang on Monday night.
“As the third anniversary of the government and the National Council for Peace and Order draws near, certain groups are attempting to discredit the government and the NCPO,” Gen Prawit said after yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
He said certain groups were waiting for the right time to trigger unrest, adding that these groups were, however, small and consisted only of one or two people.
The authorities were monitoring these groups, but he couldn’t reveal any further information about them at this point, said Gen Prawit.
Gen Prawit was speaking following Monday night’s explosion in front of the National Theatre near Sanam Luang, in which two women were slightly injured.
The police investigation team probing the incident, meanwhile, found a key piece of evidence identified as an “IC timer”, which suggested the explosion was linked to the April 5 explosion in front of the old Government Lottery Office (GLO) which also injured two people, according to an informed source.
The investigation team surmised from the IC timer that the person behind Monday’s incident and the April 5 blast is likely the same person, and has exceptional skills in bomb making, said the same source.
The bomb in Monday’s incident was considerably smaller than the one in the April 5 blast, said the source, adding this was possibly because the bomb maker this time intended for as much evidence as possible to be destroyed in the explosion.
This explained why the police didn’t find any trace of explosives in their preliminary investigation of Monday’s explosion, said the source.
Not even the material that is usually wrapped around the explosive remained after the blast, the source said.
The source also said the PVC pipe pole supporting the board displaying the layout plan of Sanam Luang broke most likely because the bomb had been planted near the pole.
Under the circumstances, the investigation team surmised that the attacker only intended to stir up unrest, but did not aim to cause any deaths, said the source.
On April 5, an explosion outside the old GLO on Ratchadamnoen Klang Avenue, wounded two women.
Some PVC piping, metal shards and a timer were recovered at the scene of the explosion.
Police then believed they were parts of a low-impact pipe bomb which was designed to cause panic rather than claim lives or cause injuries at the scene.
An initial examination suggested the bomb was similar to one that exploded in a telephone booth near the Major Cineplex Ratchayothin in 2007, according to a police officer close to the investigation.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday reportedly instructed his deputy, Gen Prawit and the NCPO to speed up the investigation into Monday’s incident.
“If it’s found to be an attempt to trigger panic, then the culprits must be brought to justice” said Gen Prayut.
“Please don’t panic. The authorities are ramping up their work to figure out what caused the explosion while at the same time working to ensure public security,” he said.
On Monday, Chana Songkhram police were alerted to the explosion at around 9pm and an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team was sent to examine the blast scene.
The two victims were identified as Chanphen Wutthi-ekphaibun, 54, and Kanchana Bunchip, 38, who suffered light injuries caused by PVC shrapnel along with ringing in their ears.
They were given first aid at a nearby tent where army medical staff help visitors to Sanam Luang. Ms Kanchana said she was waiting for a bus with about 10 other people when the explosion occurred, sending white smoke billowing up through nearby trees.
She said she had just been to the Grand Palace to pay her respects to His Majesty the late King.
Following Monday’s incident, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul yesterday said he had ordered the Metropolitan Police Bureau to check security cameras installed near the blast site.
Pol Gen Srivara said at this point, there was no clear indication to whether the explosion was an attack or simply an accident, and the public should wait until a definite cause had been identified.
Deputy Bangkok governor Amnoy Nimmano said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has high-quality security cameras in the Sanam Luang area and will send their footage to investigators.
First Army commander Lt Gen Apirach Kongsompong also said he suspected that the Monday night blast was a fresh attempt to stir unrest, as was the April 5 incident.
The military government has been commended for cracking down on illegal fishing activities following a series of warnings by the European Union but is taking flak from NGOs for failing to seriously curb violations of workers’ rights and poor working conditions on fishing trawlers.
Even academics who support the regime’s moves to handle labour issues in the fishing sector in accordance with the law and better educate the public on human rights have questioned whether the government’s policies are sustainable.
Meanwhile, the Labour Ministry said it wants to see the public, private, and civic sectors work together closely to stamp out human trafficking in the labour market.
Sompong Sakaew, at the Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation (LPN), said authorities put too much focus on verifying the accuracy of documents such as working contracts and workers’ forms for identification.
From his experience of observing some of the nation’s Port In-Port Out (PIPO) control centres, Mr Sompong said officials should be asking more in-depth questions to learn about true working conditions, including the wages paid, to see which issues need to be addressed.
“The workers appeared reluctant to answer officials’ questions as some of the sessions took place in front of the trawler boat owners or with the crew heads nearby,” he said.
“They will only talk about important issues with people they feel safe and comfortable with, and who may be able to help them,” he added.
Mr Sompong said authorities should find new communication channels to reach out to the workers and inform them which organisations they can contact for help, and how to do so.
Mechanisms should also be put in place to ensure workers’ rights are protected and the laws properly enforced, he said.
His foundation is now working with several informal labour groups and community-based organisations to educate people working in this industry about their rights
while listening to their concerns.
One pattern the LPN has noticed is the authorities are focusing on cases of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing but doing little to help improve working conditions on the boats.
In fact, their work may be making life harder for many crew members as the crackdown has led many to quit their jobs, leaving more work for those who remain, Mr Sompong said.
But workers do stand to benefit from the Labour Ministry’s plan to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.187), he said.
He said he hoped the ratification proves more than just window dressing to placate workers or earn the nation “a better rank in future human trafficking reports”.
The government introduced several new policies on labourers six months ago but the fruits of these have not yet been documented, said Yongyuth Chalamwong, a research director on labour development with the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).
These include new rules on hiring migrant labourers and tougher punishment for the illegal hiring of workers under 18, Mr Yongyuth said, adding the regime is working more closely with NGOs to tackle labour issues.
The US government issues a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report each year as a diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on this sensitive issue.
In the 2016 report Thailand received a “Tier 2 Watch List” rating.
Mr Yongyuth said even if this status remains unchanged in the 2017 report the country has still done well to be upgraded from Tier 3.
“For me, it’s more important to focus on good practices, continuity and sustainability,” he said.
As the state organisations working to protect labour rights have limited personnel, it is crucial to promote collaboration with local communities, NGOs and other
related agencies to connect with workers, especially migrant workers, he said.
Labour Minister Sirichai Distakul said the government is working to improve workers’ quality of life and raise working conditions to meet international standards.
The ministry has also reformed a number of laws to better protect migrant workers during their stay in the country, he added.
Gen Sirichai gave the example of the social security law, which has been amended so that migrant workers who wish to return home before they resign at 55 can still receive their —and their employers’ — provident fund payments.
Another new law makes employers, rather than labourers, bear the costs of work placement services. The same law keeps a lid on how many migrant workers the job-placement brokers can bring into the country.
Other bodies, like the Prevention of Human Trafficking on Labour Operation Centre, are working for greater transparency in industries like fishing and seafood processing where forced labour is rife, said Labour permanent secretary ML Puntrik Smiti.
She said centres that educate migrant workers about their rights have been set up in Tak, Nong Khai and Sa Kaeo.
Some have even been permitted to work as language coordinators assisting state officials in communicating with other workers from their mother country, she said.
Working at the PIPO centres in 22 coastal provinces, these language coordinators help screen migrant workers before they are interviewed in a bid to detect possible victims of human trafficking.
Between Dec 19 and April 19, 44,345 migrant workers have been interviewed and 3,467 found to be underpaid, said ML Puntrik. Their employers were subsequently ordered to at least pay the minimum wage in compliance with the law.
The penalties for abuses of workers under the 18 in dangerous industries or workplaces have also been doubled. Employers who breach the rules now face up to four years in prison and a fine of between 800,000 baht and 2 million baht.
To further improve the situation, the ministry said it plans to hire more inspectors, extend their powers, and work more closely with other agencies and NGOs.
As part of the cooperation between the ministry and NGOs, Migrant Worker Assistance Centres have been set up in Samut Sakhon, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri, Ranong, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen and Tak.
The permanent secretary said other centres have been set up in Songkhla, Chon Buri, Rayong and Pattani to protect the rights of fishery workers.
The ministry and LPN are also setting up a fishery crew centre in Samut Sakhon as a pilot scheme to coordinate the work of government agencies and NGOs in helping fishery workers.