17 August 2015, Bangkok bombing kills as many as 21, wounds over 120

Aug Mon, 2015

On Monday, 17 August at 6:55 pm, an IED exploded at Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, which is on the corner of Phloen Chit and Ratchadamri Roads. It is a bustling area with modern shopping centers, hotels, coffee shops, eateries, and major businesses.

The information flow on the attack continues to develop, daily. Below is a bullet point list of what is known about the bombing to date:

Three other potential suspects, two men and a woman, have so far been cleared by authorities as having nothing to do with the bombing.

To date, potential suspects include, but are not limited to, the groups listed below. While there are several reasons for each group to carry out the attacks, there are also multiple reasons they would not have. The situation remains unclear.

  1. A faction of the southern insurgents possibly frustrated with a lack of progress on peace or talks or perhaps inspired by ISIS and its rapid advances in the Arab world.
  1. A faction of the “Red Shirts” frustrated by the sitting government and their lack of political traction.
  1. A regional or international terror group such as Jemaah Islamiyah, East Indonesian Mujahidin, al Qaeda, or ISIS that might want to demonstrate their prowess by striking a country in Southeast Asia perceived as “mistreating Muslims.” Any of these type groups could have also carried out the attack on behalf of Thailand’s southern insurgents as well.
  1. Uighurs from western China have been mentioned as possible suspects because of the recent deportation of a large group of them back to China. It could be that Thailand offered them political sanctuary, and then the government reneged, triggering a violent revenge reaction. If this was the case, it might have been that a key Uighur rebel leader was sent back to face certain imprisonment – and doom – at the hands Chinese authorities. The Thai embassy in Turkey was reportedly ransacked over the deportation, so anger at Bangkok over the issue was indeed high.
  1. Some other person or group such as a mentally disturbed individual, an organized crime group, etc.

Regardless of who carried out the attack, the fact remains that Thailand just witnessed one of the worst terrorist attacks it has ever seen, and it is certainly metro-Bangkok’s most heinous terror attack. Accordingly, the current government is now under pressure to demonstrate that it has professional investigative and national security prowess in tracking down the culprits. The public will demand it, and so will the international community. Thailand is a major international business hub and tourist destination.

Additionally, scores of bombings in Bangkok, beginning in New Year’s Eve 2006, have gone unsolved. Thailand is approaching a time and place where its inability to solve these and similar crimes will injure its international reputation to a high degree.

Sources and further reading:

What Do We Know About Bangkok’s Deadly Blast?,” The Diplomat, 18 August 2015.

Bangkok blast: TNT, ball bearings used in bomb,” The Star, 19 August 2015.

What’s Behind Thailand’s Deadly Bomb Blast?,” The Diplomat, 18 August 2015.

Lack of equipment slowing Bangkok bomb inquiry – police,” The Irish Times, 23 August 2015.

Poso terrorists may be linked with Bangkok bombing,” Asia One, 18 August 2015.

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