Bangkok Shrine Bombing: The Search for a Motive

CNN

19 August 2015

The day after Monday’s rush-hour atrocity left 22 dead at a shrine popular with tourists in central Bangkok, authorities have not determined who was behind the attack.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Erawan Shrine, while police are refusing to rule anything or anyone out. National Police Chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said on state-run TV that authorities had been warned about possible attacks, but they didn’t know where or when they might occur.

While the capital has never before witnessed such a devastatingly brutal attack, Thailand’s recent history has been turbulent to say the least, with the country currently governed by a military junta following last year’s coup.

… Joseph Liow, of the Brookings Institution, agreed it would mark a significant departure from previous tactics.

“For a number of years, people have been speculating whether the elements involved in the insurgency in the south will be hitting other targets beyond the southern provinces, but we’ve never seen that happen. And it would be intriguing, if indeed there is any link, why this would happen now.”

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RSIS / Online