Bangkok Blast: Turkey awaits answers

AP FILE PHOTO

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.