Pier bomb suspect ‘headed South’
Blast probe turns again to Malaysia
A blue-shirt suspect sought in connection with the Sathon pier blast in August used the southern Thai-Malaysian border for his escape, national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said yesterday.
The suspect, identified as Zubair Abdullah, was seen on CCTV footage on the evening of Aug 17 nudging a package believed to contain a bomb into the water at Sathon pier, which caused an explosion the following day.
The Erawan shrine bombing, also on Aug 17, killed 20 and wounded 130.
Police have caught two key suspects — Bilal Turk, also known as Adem Karadag, who allegedly admitted to planting a bomb-laden rucksack at the shrine and Yusufu Mieraili, who allegedly confessed to detonating it. Fifteen suspects remain at large. Pol Gen Chakthip said he had assigned Pol Lt Gen Suchart Teerasawat, acting assistant police chief, to contact Malaysian authorities to find Mr Abdullah.
The police chief said his own inquiries found Mr Abdullah went to the southern area bordering Malaysia to make his escape.
He had spoken to human smugglers detained in Malaysia and they said they know Mr Abdullah.
Pol Gen Chakthip said more warrants could be sought in connection with the bombings.
Asked whether he gives weight to Uighur-related issues or domestic politics as the key motive behind the blasts, the police chief said the causes are overlapping. “Any causes remain possible,” said Pol Gen Chakthip.
He said he had asked assistant police chief Srivara Ransibrahmanakul to take responsibility for the bombings probe.
Police have asked Interpol to help track down the suspects believed to have fled overseas, he said.
Four or five police teams are also on the lookout for Odd Phayungwong, a Thai suspect who police said supplied bombmaking materials for the explosions.
Mr Odd, according to police, had also been linked to two politically-motivated bomb attacks in 2010 and last year.
Teasing out supposed links between Mr Odd and domestic politics, a police source earlier said Boonchaliew Dusadee, a lawyer for several Pheu Thai Party executives, once sought bail for Mr Odd who appealed against a one-year jail sentence handed down by the Criminal Court on May 21, 2010, for violating the emergency decree during the 2010 redshirt protests.
Mr Odd was granted bail five days later with a 40,000-baht surety placed by Mr Boonchaliew, the source said.
Winyat Chatmontree, a key lawyer with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) during the 2010 demonstrations, yesterday said it was common for red-shirt lawyers at that time to provide assistance to protesters facing charges and Mr Odd was one of those who received help.
The financial assistance f or t he detained protesters came from many donors, he said.
Mr Winyat insisted Mr Boonchaliew was only a staff member of the legal team who helped seek bail for detained redshirt demonstrators, but was not actually a lawyer.
“I have been unable to reach Mr Boonchaliew so far,” Mr Winyat said. “I am trying to contact him.” Police will likely to want to take a look at the bail document, if one can be found.
Meanwhile, a police inspector-general is investigating corrupt behaviour by the immigration police.
Pol Gen Chakthip, who recently took up the job of national police chief, pledged the probe would carry on.
Former police chief Somyot Poompunmuang ordered the probe following reports that Mr Karadag paid a $600 bribe (21,850 baht) to illegally enter Thailand.
Pol Gen Somyot also released a memo outlining six common corrupt behaviours of immigration police.
If the inspector-general conducting the probe discovers that any officers are involved in such offences, they will be punished, Pol Gen Chakthip said.
He would give weight to measures to prevent bad people from entering Thailand and deal with those who overstay their permits.
He admitted there are still flaws in the immigration police’s operation. He said immigration officers are asked to ensure visitors can cross the border easily, but they must also attach importance to security issues.
Another issue is that Thailand has many natural border channels for entry and exit, he said.
Pol Gen Chakthip said he had assigned Pol Lt Gen Srivara to take care of the human trafficking issue instead of deputy police chief Ake Angsananont, who has taken up a new job as permanent-secretary to the PM’s Office.
He said he also ordered Pol Gen Chaiya Siri-ampankul, acting inspector-general and deputy police chief, to deal with crooked police.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha won over Western governments during his trip to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, according to Siam Rath Weekly.
The PM’s US visit was not wasted, said the cover story entitled “Breaking the global siege”. Photographs of Gen Prayut shaking hands with world leaders during the 70th UNGA, show the meeting as a game-changer for Thailand’s postcoup image, the story said.
Gen Prayut’s speeches on the UN stage gave the country an opportunity to restore confidence and strike a better understanding with the international community.
“Gen Prayut’s cheering squads were all smiling as they chanted for Big Tu to fight on and stay on,’’ the article said, referring to the premier by his nickname.
Gen Prayut’s debut on the world stage reflects how well the premier and his team prepared for the mission.
“Thailand came under siege by the international community after the coup,’’ the article said. Gen Prayut’s warm reception shows he has managed to break down some of that resistance.
Power cliques in the international community tried to convince foreign countries — especially the US — to boycott Thailand after the military seized power from ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Now, however, the government believes the international community is more understanding of what the government is trying to achieve.
The most important images coming out of the UNGA are those of Gen Prayut shaking hands with US President Barrack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. “This is not just about Gen Prayut schmoozing with international celebrities but it reflects international politics at play,’’ the article said.
Still, the real test of Thailand in the world arena remains centred on three issues: human trafficking, illegal fishing and aviation safety. All three problems have caused the government problems after overseas bodies complained they fail to meet international standards.
The problems are all waiting for the prime minister’s attention now he is back home.
Empty election
promises
The “New York declaration” that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha made at the UN for 2017 elections is acceptable only if the government maintains people’s freedom, according to the cover article of Matichon Weekly.
The magazine compares the new election date to the one given earlier by Gen Prayut to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“The February issue of this magazine features the photo of Gen Prayut shaking hands with PM Abe on the cover. The headline said: Election early 2016,” it said.
The story was about Gen Prayut’s visit to Japan from Feb 8-10 this year. The visit was noteworthy for a few reasons.
The trip to Japan was the first visit to a democratic country after the May 22 coup, showing that if a superpower like Japan, which enjoys close ties with the US, was willing to welcome a Thai leader who came to power through a coup, so could other countries.
Gen Prayut vowed new elections in either in late 2015 or early 2016.
“Even though the timeline was nothing new, as Gen Prayut had told Thais the same thing, it was the first time the premier announced it to a world superpower,’’ the article said.
Fast forward to October and the Tokyo declaration is cancelled because the the National Reform Council (NRC) rejected the first draft of the charter.
A new roadmap demanding another 20 months before new elections are held was announced. It is this new timeline for elections in 2017 that Gen Prayut announced to the UN.
The “New York declaration” has received no negative feedback yet, the article said.
If the next draft charter, to be written by a panel appointed by Gen Prayut, does not pass a public referendum, the government might struggle to find a way forward.
“It would not augur well for the government and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO),’’ the article said.
It would seem as if the military regime would have flunked its own test. It would also face the perennial accusations of doing everything it can to extend its hold on power.
Even though the new roadmap delays elections by about 18 months, it is still an acceptable offer, the magazine says.
It would be even better if the government and NCPO spend the next 20 months following the advice given by the UN secretary-general to maintain freedom of expression and allow public gatherings.
“If the government and NCPO take this point into consideration and listen to the public, the new charter draft will look acceptable to people,’’ the article said.
Blast awakens
politics
The emergence of the latest Erawan shrine suspect Odd Phayungwong has thrust the bomb probe back into the political arena, says The Nation Weekly.
Mr Odd, or Yongyuth Phobkaew, is the only piece of the puzzle allegedly linking the Aug 17 bomb to domestic politics, according to the article, entitled “From Odd to Kasi: The 2010 Hardcore Gang”.
Mr Odd was a guard for the red shirts during the 2010 protests against the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration.
He was also allegedly involved in an explosion in Min Buri district last year, which killed two people.
Mr Odd is also connected to a leader of a group of red-shirt protesters from the deep South, named Kasi Ditthanarat.
People involved in the 2010 protest said Mr Odd came to know Mr Kasi at the Ratchaprasong rally, according to the story.
“Kasi told red-shirt protesters at the rally that he was a businessman from Narathiwat,’’ the article said.
“He said he was involved in a palm oil and biodiesel production business. He traded in fertiliser and was branching out into home furniture and decoration.”
Mr Kasi also boasted about enjoying a close relationship with Libyan leaders, to the extent he could ask for millions of dollars from them.
“This prompted hard-core red shirts to gravitate towards him as they wished to use his money to instigate violence,’’ the story said.
The hardcore group was one of many splinter factions within the red shirt rally at Ratchaprasong five years ago.
The deep South group led by Mr Kasi, however, soon became a gathering of mavericks like Mr Odd and Samai Wongsuwan, a suspect killed in the blast at Samarn Metta Mansion in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district in 2010.
The Kasi gang was allegedly connected to the Don Toom gang led by a senior policeman and the Red Bamboo gang of a rebel poet, the story said.
“It is known among red shirts that these hardcore [members] were using underground tactics,’’ the story said.
Mr Kasi was wanted under an arrest warrant in connection to the blast at Samarn Metta Mansion as well.
Both blasts, at Min Buri and Samarn Metta, have returned to the news with fervour since the police unveiled their link to the Erawan shrine bomb — Mr Odd.
Chuchart Kanphai, the lawyer representing the main suspect Adem Karadag or Bilal Mohammed, said Mr Mohammed was an Uighur born in Xinjing’s Urumqi. The suspect told Mr Chuchart he planted the bomb following an order by another suspect, Abdullah Abdulrahman.
“There are now two mysterious figures in this case: Mr Odd from the Kasi gang and Abdullah Abdulrahman, a leader of a human smuggling gang from Turkey,” the story said.
Whose account is true — that of the police or Mr Chuchart? The answer might come to light as the probe unfolds in the weeks ahead.