Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Bombs rattle Bangkok during ASEAN summit

TWO men from Thailand's insurgency-hit "Deep South" have been arrested linked to several small bomb attacks which rattled Bangkok Friday (2) as it hosted a regional summit attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, leaving four people wounded but not disrupting the diplomatic event.

Thailand, which has a grim history of political violence and is fighting a long-running rebellion in the Muslim-majority south, remains deeply divided after a controversial March election returned a junta to power as a civilian government.


Prime minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who led the former junta, told reporters "there were nine successful or attempted explosions... we haven't ruled out any motives."

Two men from the far south were arrested after wires and ball bearings were found in an inactive device outside Thai police headquarters late Thursday (1), in what police said was a linked incident.

Police chief Jakthip Chaijinda confirmed the men came the Muslim-majority area bordering Malaysia which is in the grip of a 15-year insurgency.

But he said it was "too early" to clearly tie them with the rebellion.

Any connection to the insurgency will cause deep alarm in Bangkok, which has failed to win peace in a conflict which has left more than 7,000 dead.

Occasionally the shadowy rebel cells take their violence outside their region to mark key anniversaries or kickback against specific Thai actions.

Outrage is boiling in the south over the treatment of a 34-year-old rebel suspect who was left in a coma hours after being taken into a notorious military interrogation centre in Pattani province.

The blasts in Bangkok Friday appeared to be symbolic attacks aimed at embarrassing the government during a major summit but not designed to cause mass casualties.

Small devices some believed to be so-called "ping pong bombs" around the size of a table tennis ball exploded at several locations across the city, none close to the summit venue.

Officials said four people were wounded.

"Reports are they were 'ping pong bombs' hidden in bushes by the road," said Renu Suesattaya, director of Suanluang district where the first bombs were reported.

Two further explosions shattered glass near a well-known downtown skyscraper, emergency police added.

Bomb disposal experts were deployed around the Mahanakorn Tower -- owned by the King Power group that counts Leicester City football club among its assets.

Most of the dead in the highly-localised insurgency in the south are civilians, but the conflict garners few international headlines.

Malay-Muslim militants are fighting for autonomy from Thailand which annexed the region over a century ago.

Friday's bombings took place just before a keynote speech by top US diplomat Pompeo, in which he praised Thailand for rejoining the "democratic fold" after five years of outright junta rule.

The blasts come weeks after former junta leader Prayut was inaugurated as a civilian prime minister, sparking outcry among many pro-democracy supporters in a kingdom scored by divisions.

The junta manoeuvred itself back into power with the help of a fully appointed senate stacked with army loyalists and an electoral system its critics say was designed to limit the success of the pro-democracy parties.

Mass protests, coups and short-lived governments have scored Thailand's recent history.

Deadly bombings and shootings linked to politics are often carried out by shadowy forces who are never held accountable.

Thailand's last hosting of ASEAN in 2009 was also overshadowed by unrest.

Then, "Red Shirt" protesters smashed their way into the summit venue in the resort city of Pattaya demanding elections.

Pandemonium ensued, with a number of leaders having to be rescued from a hotel roof by Thai army helicopters while others fled by boat.

(AFP)

More For You

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less