A bomb has exploded at a Hindu shrine in central Bangkok, killing at least 18 people and wounding scores more. Body parts and mangled scooters were scattered across the street after the explosion at about 7pm local time at the Erawan shrine in the central Chidlom district of the Thai capital. At least 10 Thais, one Chinese and one Filipino citizen are among the 18 dead, according to the national police chief Somyot Poompanmuang, who called the perpetrators of the attack “cruel” for targeting a religious shrine at a busy period. The explosion – which Poompanmuang said was a pipe bomb – was large enough to throw a metre-wide chunk of metal to a third-floor balcony on the other side of the street, about 50 metres away. Human body parts lay on the road and medics were still picking them up two hours after the blast. The terror act has reminded the world that no place is safe and terrorists can hit anytime and anywhere to spread their nefarious agenda. The Thai security agencies have been working on multiple leads to find the real culprits. Among them one factor is the Muslim insurgents who are fighting for an independent state in the south of the country. Those areas are already notorious for the incidents of bombings by Islamist insurgents but they have never committed a terror act of such a magnitude outside their own area. The latest incident of bombing has left the Thai nation in utter distress as it is a new form of violence for them. The attack was aimed at destroying the economy of the country that suffered a big blow after the bombing. The confrontation between political factions and the army-led regime cannot be ruled out for this heinous act. The conflict of ethnic Uighurs who, before this, Thailand sent back to China, can also be one of the factors that let loose hell on Bangkok. Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month, who had fled unrest in China’s western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed by the Islamists, prompting a crackdown by Chinese authorities. There is a strong possibility that resentment among the Uighurs against the Thai government led to this unusual attack in the heart of the capital.Whoever carried it out, the attack is a reminder that no place is safe and the whole world is the target of terrorists. It is a very difficult situation as it is almost impossible to guard every place especially those where visitors come in large numbers. The deployment of troops to every venue is not possible. Only pre-emptive strikes can deter terrorists, who do not care for international boundaries while spreading violence.
pk.shafaqna.com
