PM Thaksin says bombs the work of kidnappers
PM Thaksin says bombs the work of kidnappers
BANGKOK (Agencies): Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra came up with a new theory on Tuesday to explain a spate of bombings that killed a child and wounded dozens of people over the weekend.
Thaksin told reporters the people who planted the bombs, for which no one has claimed responsibility, were "kidnappers" who simply wanted protection money from the owners of places or firms they had targeted.
"I believe the bombs were caused by kidnappers, not (people with) any political ideology...These people make a living by seeking protection fees, boasting of their self-importance," the prime minister said.
Bombs caused havoc on Saturday at a railway station in southern Thailand's largest town of Hat Yai, at a hotel in Yala province, and at a gas storage warehouse next to a railway line in Songkhla province.
Thaksin's remarks contradicted previous statements made by senior intelligence officials that the explosions were the work of foreign saboteurs.
Palakorn Suwanarath, head of the Interior Ministry's southern border province administration, said on Monday the sabotage was carried out by three Muslim separatist groups seeking attention and financial support.
The allied groups, calling themselves Bersatu (United), consisted of Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) and Mujahedin, he said.
Thai newspapers on Monday quoted unnamed Thai security sources as saying the separatist groups held a meeting in March in Kuala Lumpur to plan sabotage in southern Thailand in April.
Thaksin has said he will raise the issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad this month at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian officials said the meeting would take place from April 24-25.
PULO's website on Tuesday denied it was involved in the bombings which it blamed on the Thai government.
In the early 1990s, the southern Thai provinces saw a wave of bomb attacks on railway tracks and stations, most attributed to Muslim separatist groups seeking independence from majority- Buddhist Thailand.
Most of Thailand's Muslims, about five percent of the country's 62 million people, live in the south bordering predominantly Muslim Malaysia.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon said that the government and authorities will try their best to guarantee people's safety. But there are difficulties because this is a free country," he said.
"However, we need to introduce stricter measures, particularly during the Songkran festival, because there will be so many tourists."
A major security crackdown has been mounted to protect tourists over the upcoming holiday weekend, when the important Thai festival of Songkran coincides with the Easter break.
This year's celebrations for Songkran, when many Thais return to their home provinces to celebrate the "water festival" with their families, will be particularly large because they fall over a weekend, he said.
"We are expecting 1.5 million tourists, both Thais and foreigners, between April 11 and 18 ... this will be the busiest weekend we have ever had in Thailand."