Higher Bangkok security after bomb wounds one  

BANGKOK, May 6 (TNA) - Security in the Thai capital is tighter Sunday after a bomb exploded near His Majesty the King's palace late Saturday night, officials said.

First Army Region commander Lt-Gen. Prayuth Chanocha, who is responsible for security for Bangkok and surrounding provinces in the Central region, said the military has been ordered to work closely with police in finding the bomber while more soldiers have been stationed at Bangkok locations as part of the heightened security measures.

Acting national police chief Pol. Gen. Sereepisuth Temiyaves said the explosive was not powerful and that it was in a box with batteries attached, similar to bombs which exploded here and in Bangkok's neighbouring province of Nonthaburi on New Year's Eve.

The December 31 bombings killed three persons and wounded 42, including nine foreigners.

Police and officials of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had been ordered to tighten security at public places, government offices and department stores. BMA officials will join police in night time patrols while more street lighting will be installed, especially in isolated lanes and alleys.

Saturday's blast occurred on a road opposite Chitralada Palace, residence of His Majesty the King, and wounded a young man. The explosion shattered glass and damaged a nearby telephone booth.

Bomb experts Sunday morning inspected the explosion site, initially finding a green plastic bag, several pieces of newsprint, a piece of metal and a brass coil. Police and other technical experts were meeting with senior police officials through the day Sunday to consider possible motives of Saturday night's bombing and materials found at the scene.

TNA

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Police find no clue of Bangkok bomber's identity

BANGKOK, May 5 (TNA) - Police investigating Saturday night's bombing near His Majesty the King's palace here have found no clue to the identity of the bomber, but have set up 84 checkpoints in risk-prone areas in the capital nightly, senior police officers said Sunday.

Following a meeting Sunday morning with senior police officers on the bombing incident which wounded a young man, Pol. Lt-Gen. Jongrak Jutanont, Assistant National Police Chief, said the bomber wished to stir up a sense of chaos in the country.

His assumption was based on the fact that the explosive was made in a simple way with the explosion was set to go off at not more than 30 minutes.

Five witnesses had been questioned but police were still unable to find a clue to the identity of the bomber, he said.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will install more lights in dark areas here. Moreover, the municipality is considering closing public telephone booths in areas which are unnecessary to prevent ill-intentioned persons from planting bombs.

Saturday night's bomb was hidden in a paper bag placed at the roadside near a phone booth, opposite the King's Chitralada Palace. The explosion wounded a young man, shattered glass and damaged the phone booth.

Meanwhile, Pol. Lt-Gen. Adisorn Nonsee, Bangkok police chief, said combined forces of police, army and BMA officials would jointly set up 84 checkpoints in areas considered risky in Bangkok. Searches of vehicles and suspicious looking passers-by will be conducted from nighttime until 5 am daily.

The BMA also plans to install 1,700 additional closed-circuit surveillance cameras in at risk areas while more lights will be erected on public phone booths.

TNA

Quote:Unused telephone booths to be closed or removed

Security meeting held after a bomb explosion near Chitralada Palace on Saturday agree on Sunday that public telephone booths in remote areas or that were rarely used would be closed down to prevent ill-intentioned groups to use as attacking spots.

Assistant Police Chief Pol Lt Col Jongrak Jutanont said the meeting assigned police and city authorities to survey the public telephone booths throughout the capital to know the number and the locations of the telephone booths that were in remote spots or not rarely used.

"The telephone booths in such conditions would be removed or closed down to prevent them from being used as bombing spots," said Jongrak, who is chief investigator into the Saturday bombing attack.


The small explosive device went off on Saturday night at a public telephone booth on a road opposite Chitralada Palace, slightly injuring a 22-year-old man. Earlier a bomb blast went off at a public booth in front of a cinema complex on Phaholyothin road earlier this year.


Jongrak said that Bangkok authorities were asked to put more lights at the telephone booths in Bangkok and to install security cameras there.


The police general was speaking after attending an urgent meeting with security officials and the city authorities following the Saturday bomb explosion.


He added that police are gathering information involving in the attacks. "Police talked to owners of a house that is close to the telephone booths to learn of unusual and suspicious persons and activities in prior to the incident," he said.


Meanwhile Deputy Police Chief Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan said that more police would be deployed from 1,500 officers to 3,000 to provide safety for people, government offices and embassies.


Some 1,000 others officers would be ready to act if needed, he said.


The Nation

There are good alternatives to totally enclosed phone booths. Removing phone booths is not the answer, replacing then with ones that do not pose a security threat is more logical. Removing them could put people at risk and will definitely inconvenience them. Removing the booths, removing garbage cans etc will not solve the problem. A good terrorist, if there is such a thing, will unfortunately quickly think up an alternative.