Shrine re-opens in Bangkok
Thai monks have held prayers for the first time since a bomb was detonated at the Hindu temple. Authorities are searching for the culprits.
The Erawan Hindu shrine reopened in Bangkok on Wednesday following Monday’s bomb attack on the popular tourist destination. The blast left 20 people dead and 100 wounded.
The suspect continues to evade police after a security tape captured footage of a man believed to be planting to bomb. His identity and political affiliations remain unknown.
Attacking a holy landmark
Worshippers and tourists were at the house of prayer in the Thai capital when the explosives were detonated on early Monday evening. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike.
At least 11 foreigners are among the victims, who include Chinese, British, Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian nationals.
The bomb ripped through one of the city’s busiest junctions, littering its commercial heart with body parts and motorcycles carcasses.
The shrine — a typical example of the kingdom’s unique mix of Hindu and Buddhist traditions — and the surrounding area has already been mostly restored.
Almost a dozen Buddhist monks in saffron robes led prayers for the deceased, as mourners lit candles in their memory.
One visitor, Tommy Goh, had something extra to be thankfu for. The Thai-Malaysian from Penang is only alive because the taxi from his hotel was delayed. Otherwise, he would have been at the shrine around the time of the explosion.
“Every year I come down to this shrine, we were meant to be here around 6.50-7pm but the taxi didn’t arrive from the hotel… so we went somewhere else,” he told AFP.
“Ten minutes later and it could have been so different.”
While much of the site has been repaired, the Hindu deities still show traces of the carnage.
Two explosions linked
Police believe the bomb was made up of 6.6 pounds (3 kilograms) of explosives and ball bearings.
A second explosive at a pier in Bangkok on Tuesday has been connected, according to police. No one was injured, but fears are growing among the capital’s citizens.
“It’s exactly the same, the equipment used to make it, the bomb size,” Colonel Kamthorn Ouicharoen, of Thai bomb squad police, told AFP.
Police published photos on Tuesday showing a smaller young man wearing a yellow T-shirt and dark shorts entering the shrine with a backpack.
In the video, the man puts the rucksack under a bench and walks away holding a blue plastic bag and what police believe is a smartphone.
The blast occured several minutes later. Thai police confirmed this individual to be their prime suspect.
The explosion is unprecedented in Thailand. Despite a near decade-long political struggle, violence has been limited to fighting on the streets.
kb/jil (AFP/AP)
