(17/02/2012)
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has given a pres briefing regarding the explosions occuring on Soi Sukhumvit 71 in Bangkok on 14 February 2012.
The briefing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on 15 February 2012, with the participation of several senior officials responsible for national security.
A report issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that, on 15 February 2012, the National Security Council convened an urgent meeting of the Thai security authorities concerned regarding the incident which was attended by several high-ranking officials, including the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, the Director of the National Intelligence Agency, the Director of the Office of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Defense, the Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, and the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Based on the preliminary investigation and existing evidence, the meeting arrived at the following conclusions:
1. The explosive devices found are improvised explosive devices (IED) with C4 components and magnetic strips. No link between this incident and the arrest of Mr. Atris Hussein earlier last month has been found. It is likely that these explosive devices were intended for the assassination of an individual or individuals rather than a large-scale attack;
2. The suspects comprise three men and one woman. The Thai authorities reacted promptly to the incident, and two out of the four suspects have already been arrested. The first suspect was the man injured from the explosion at the scene of the incident, while another suspect was the man arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport while trying to flee Thailand. Although both suspects were found with Iranian passports, further investigations will be conducted before determining the authenticity of the passports and their nationalities;
3. At present, the Thai authorities have not yet identified the two arrested men as terrorists. The Thai police will press criminal charges on these two men on the grounds of possessing explosive devices that caused danger and injuries to others, as well as attempted murder. Further investigations will have to be conducted before any conclusion can be made.
At 15.30 hr on 15 February 2012, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs gave a briefing on this incident to members of the diplomatic corps and international organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Police General Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Police Commissioner, joined the briefing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had been monitoring the travel alerts and advisories issued by countries regarding this incident and found that, as of 15 February 2012 at 11.50 hr, 10 countries, namely Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and New Zealand, have issued travel advisories, providing information about the incident and stating that the Thai authorities are investigating. While most of them merely advised their citizens to exercise caution in public areas, none of them has linked the incident with terrorism.
The Foreign Minister also sought cooperation from the Thai public to remain vigilant and encouraged them to quickly report to the police should they come across any unusual activities.
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