Prawit affirms bomb probe progress

Somyot fears blast pair fled over border

Police are making progress in the probe into two pipe-bomb blasts on Feb 1 near Siam Paragon shopping centre, deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said yesterday.

The investigation is 70% complete and police are stepping up efforts to arrest the culprits, Gen Prawit said.

CCTV footage showed two men planting the bombs on a walkway between Siam BTS station and Siam Paragon.

The two were also shown leaving a public van at Victory Monument before taking a taxi to Paragon. The van had come from Saraburi.

There are now warrants out for t he pair’s arrest, t hough t he warrants do not name the pair. They were approved based partly on the CCTV footage of the men carrying bags, which were thought to contain the bombs.

Gen Prawit refused to confirm whether he thought the suspects had left the country, saying every effort was being made to bring them to justice.

Speculation was rife the attacks were carried out by a political group, he said, adding that once the culprits are arrested, a clear picture will emerge of the network perpetrating the unrest.

There had been no intelligence alerting authorities to the Siam Paragon explosions, said Gen Prawit, and no reports have been made about a possible next target.

Authorities are working hard to catch the bombers, national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang said yesterday.

He declined to discuss details of the probe, saying it could hinder the investigation and prompt the perpetrators to flee overseas.

He confirmed there were still only two suspects at this stage.

Pol Gen Somyot expressed concern about the prospect of the suspects slipping out of the country and hiding out in a neighbouring country.

“Thailand shares extensive borders with neighbouring countries. After the culprits committed the offence, they could have entered a neighbouring country within as little as three hours,” Pol Gen Somyot said.

If the suspects flee overseas, it would be difficult for police to secure their extradition and bring them to justice, he said.

Meanwhile, deputy Defence Minister and army chief Udomdej Sitabutr said yesterday he had ordered 1st Region Army commander Kampanat Ruddit to work closely with police to provide security.

Officials have also been instructed to closely monitor progress of the blast case, he said.

The investigation should lead to the culprits of the bombing, he said.

Hopefully, it will also identify those behind the pair, he added.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Gen Prawit have also instructed state agencies to pay attention to the case, Gen Udomdej said.

He said he had ordered security in Bangkok to be beefed up, as well as areas outside the capital which might be prone to attacks.

Gen Udomdej said stringent security is needed to ensure public safety. Members of the public should feel more at ease following the security boost, he said.

The army chief appealed to t he public to alert officers if they spot anything suspicious.