Report on Thai plane blast to be released<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (AFP): An official report into the blast that
\ndestroyed a Thai Airways jet has found that a bomb was
\ndeliberately planted on board, but fails to identify who was
\nbehind the attack, a source said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The report is due to be presented on Thursday to Prime
\nMinister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was minutes away from boarding
\nthe plane at Bangkok's domestic airport on March 3 before it
\nburst into flames.<\/p>\n
Thaksin initially insisted investigators find out who was
\nresponsible for the explosion by Thursday's deadline, but
\nwithdrew the demand later after coming under criticism for
\npressuring the probe team.<\/p>\n
A source on the investigation panel said the report confirmed
\nthat the presence of chemicals used in C-4 plastic explosive,
\nfound in the wreckage and on the body of the steward killed in
\nthe blast, proved it was no accident.<\/p>\n
\"As to who was involved in the explosion, we will have to wait
\nfor further investigation,\" he told AFP.<\/p>\n
Thaksin indicated on Wednesday that he would accept the
\nfindings, saying that the team should not rush the hunt for those
\nresponsible for the near-disaster.<\/p>\n
\"The investigation is in progress ... and will not hurry to
\nfind the bomber,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The investigation panel source said the bomb was believed to
\nhave been attached to the seats numbered 38 to 40, located above
\nthe plane's fuel tank.<\/p>\n
\"This style of bombing was used in Columbia where drugs
\ndealers were responsible for one attack that produced tearing in
\nthe fuel tank similar to this explosion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Currently under suspicion are two groups of people, including
\npassengers who boarded the plane in Phitsanulok, in central
\nThailand, where it stopped off before heading into Bangkok. This
\ngroup has yet to be interrogated.<\/p>\n
\"The second are the aircraft cleaners -- six of the nine are
\nThai Airways staff and the other three came from a subcontracted
\ncleaning company,\" the source said, adding that all the flight
\nattendants had been cleared.<\/p>\n
A range of motives behind the bombing continue to be
\nconsidered, including that it was the work of drug traffickers
\noperating on the Thai-Myanmar border who targeted Thaksin over
\nhis vow to close down their trade.<\/p>\n
\"Another reason is possible conflicts inside Thai Airways and
\nthe Airports Authority,\" the source said, adding that the ongoing
\nsaga over the building of Bangkok's planned new international
\nairport may also be to blame.<\/p>\n
The probe team was convinced the device was not operated by a
\ntimer, and that it was planted by a former army officer or some
\nother bomb expert, he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/report-on-thai-plane-blast-to-be-released-1447893297",
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