Report on Thai plane blast to be released

Report on Thai plane blast to be released

BANGKOK (AFP): An official report into the blast that
destroyed a Thai Airways jet has found that a bomb was
deliberately planted on board, but fails to identify who was
behind the attack, a source said on Wednesday.

The report is due to be presented on Thursday to Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was minutes away from boarding
the plane at Bangkok's domestic airport on March 3 before it
burst into flames.

Thaksin initially insisted investigators find out who was
responsible for the explosion by Thursday's deadline, but
withdrew the demand later after coming under criticism for
pressuring the probe team.

A source on the investigation panel said the report confirmed
that the presence of chemicals used in C-4 plastic explosive,
found in the wreckage and on the body of the steward killed in
the blast, proved it was no accident.

"As to who was involved in the explosion, we will have to wait
for further investigation," he told AFP.

Thaksin indicated on Wednesday that he would accept the
findings, saying that the team should not rush the hunt for those
responsible for the near-disaster.

"The investigation is in progress ... and will not hurry to
find the bomber," he said.

The investigation panel source said the bomb was believed to
have been attached to the seats numbered 38 to 40, located above
the plane's fuel tank.

"This style of bombing was used in Columbia where drugs
dealers were responsible for one attack that produced tearing in
the fuel tank similar to this explosion," he said.

Currently under suspicion are two groups of people, including
passengers who boarded the plane in Phitsanulok, in central
Thailand, where it stopped off before heading into Bangkok. This
group has yet to be interrogated.

"The second are the aircraft cleaners -- six of the nine are
Thai Airways staff and the other three came from a subcontracted
cleaning company," the source said, adding that all the flight
attendants had been cleared.

A range of motives behind the bombing continue to be
considered, including that it was the work of drug traffickers
operating on the Thai-Myanmar border who targeted Thaksin over
his vow to close down their trade.

"Another reason is possible conflicts inside Thai Airways and
the Airports Authority," the source said, adding that the ongoing
saga over the building of Bangkok's planned new international
airport may also be to blame.

The probe team was convinced the device was not operated by a
timer, and that it was planted by a former army officer or some
other bomb expert, he said.