Explosions in Bangkok

[Ckrisg]

Why do we need to know the farang was fat

[itsmedave]

I agree that on balance the evidence (mostly circumstantial) seems to point to Thaksin's group with the police as co-conspirators.

 

The question for me is also what do they think they have to gain (keeping in mind that logic and well thought out reasoning have never been strong suits amongst this group)

 

But if it's true that many big power, big money players are about to lose their power and money, then it's conceivable they are trying to provide a reason to scrap Surayud's gov't and start a new one...any new one, where they might find friendlier faces and keep their ill gotten gains.

[shygye]

Not one shred of evidence has been released that points to Thaksin supporters. It took the present government all of 5 seconds to blame Thaksin cronies and deny Southern insurgents was even a possibility.

[Flashermac]

Chuan Leekpai blames Thaksin's people too. It's not just the military saying it.

[asiafun]

Assuming the more radicalized muslims in teh South were behind this they would not want to start off a campaign outside the south with a big bang like Bali. They would want to stay under the radar per see and avoid masssive body counts nor do they want to kill a bunch of foreignors lest they ended up on the Wests (Americas) most wanted list.

 

Once again assuming it was the muslims it would most likely be a bit longer before they would ramp up the pressure and go for bodycounts. Only if they felt like they were still being ignored would they even consider something that would elicit a major response from the Thai military.

 

Just a few thoughts after rubbing my booze soaked brain cells together...

 

 

[shygye]

Chuan Leekpai blames Thaksin's people too. It's not just the military saying it.

 

Well Chuan also has a VESTED interest to blame Thaksin cronies. Only by throughly dismantling TRT can his party gain control of parliament when new elections are held.

[Gadfly]

But this is exactly how the insurgents in the South bomb. They use small bombs planted in

 

Actually, there are significant differences.

 

Digital watches were used in Bangkok as timing devices while they use mobile telephones in the South to detonate bombs. They do this in the South to maximize casualties.

 

When there are bombing in the South, they are usually clustered around an area or hit a particular type of business, like banks. The here bombs were scattered helter skelter across Bangkok.

 

The bombings in the South are arranged to inflict high casualities. In Bangkok, the bombs went off early in the evening in areas that would otherwise have been very crowded later in the night. The casualties would have been much higher if the bombs in the count down ares went off at midnight rather than around 6 pm. These bombings were intended to scare the shit out of Bangkok residents, a group not known for their love of TRT.

 

And it worked. Everyone I know - Farangs and Thais - is totally stressed about the current situation. No one knows what to expect next.

 

Why did the MiB keep Dr. Khunying Pornthip - Thailand's forensic director - away from the bomb sites until the evidence was removed?

 

Why would the South bring the battle to Bangkok now?

 

I am not convinced about anything, but I still think the evidence, on balance, points away from extremists from the South and towards more local, vested, interests. But I can be convinced otherwise.

[soongmak]

Chuan Leekpai blames Thaksin's people too. It's not just the military saying it.

 

Well Chuan also has a VESTED interest to blame Thaksin cronies. Only by throughly dismantling TRT can his party gain control of parliament when new elections are held.

 

Add to that that Chuan comes from the south.

 

[shygye]

Where are you getting your info that bombings in the South have caused massive casualties? Here is just one example,

Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Insurgents launched a series of bomb attacks at a fresh market in Thailand's southern border province of Narathiwat on Wednesday morning, but only one person was injured in the explosions.

 

The attacked were launched in Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat on Wednesday morning. At least three bombs were detonated simultaneously, local police said.

 

Police said the three homemade time bombs were hidden separately in a clothes shop, stationary shop and motorcycle repair shop.

 

Notice it was a time bomb, not a cell phone bomb. Look at this about the bank bombs,

 

At least 22 bombs exploded almost simultaneously Thursday inside commercial banks in southern Thailand, killing two people and injuring 28 in a region bloodied by a Muslim insurgency, police said.

 

The homemade bombs, which were triggered by mobile phone signals, were placed in garbage bins, at newspaper stands and near seats where customers wait for service in the banks in Yala province, said Maj. Gen. Paithoon Choochaiya who heads the provincial force.

 

My perception of the 1700 killed in the South is about 100 were killed by bombs, 1500 shot to death, and the rest died from stabbings, beatings, or burns.

 

Maybe the reason the independent forensic team did not see the scenes before cleanup was to HIDE evidence that points to the South. This would be the worst case for business and tourists.

 

Plus, it takes the SAME skills to hook a bomb to a digital watch or a cell phone.

 

I am very dubious of the authorities immediately pointing the finger at Thaksin cronies, before there is sufficient time to analyze the bomb evidence.

[JaiGuruDev]

Everyone I know - Farangs and Thais - is totally stressed about the current situation.

I would like to go on record as saying I am not totally stressed about the current situation. In fact, this is way down on my list of things to be stressed about and hardly budges my stress-o-meter at all.

 

It's great sport to watch the chicken-heads cluck around, but it's not going to change *my* life. Not gonna happen...