Thai PM expresses sorrow to relatives of bomb victims, MFA explains to int'l community

BANGKOK, August 18 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has expressed his sorrow to relatives of people who died or were wounded from Monday night’s bomb attack in central Bangkok, while the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement to explain the incident to the international community. The prime minister extended his profound sorrow to relatives of all fatalities and all injured victims in a live broadcast on Tuesday afternoon. The Thai leader vowed that his government would arrest and punish those involving in the bomb attack, while also giving appropriate compensations to all the victims, announcing that security measures in the country would, from now on, be heightened. So far, according to official statistics, 20 people died and about 120 others were injured from the powerful bomb blast in front of the Brahmin Shrine standing next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Hotel at the Ratchaprasong Intersection in the heart of Bangkok on Monday night. Police reported that, of the total, there were five Thais, two Chinese, two Malaysian and two Hong Kong Chinese and a Singaporean nationals, as well as eight unidentified nationalities, while more than 120 others were wounded in the incident. The prime minister asked the media to work cautiously and not to become a tool of troublemakers, while presenting only factual reports to the public and avoiding reports which may create confusions or lead to conflicts both in and outside the country. Speaking to journalists before the Cabinet's weekly meeting earlier in the day, the prime minister said he has sent an email to foreign embassies in Thailand, informing them of the incident and pledging that Thai security forces would provide a protection to their offices. The prime minister stated that every country understands the situation in Thailand well because such the situation has not happened in Thailand only, suggesting people to, however, avoid traveling to areas close to the blast site as a precaution. The prime minister assessed that bombers wanted to create panic in the society and damage the Thai economy and tourism industry, insisting that concerned security authorities have been monitoring the situation closely but it was too early to say that Monday night’s bomb attack concerned with domestic politics or international affairs. Meanwhile, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to explain the explosion at the Ratchaprasong Intersection in central Bangkok on August 17 to the international community and asked Thai embassies and consulate offices worldwide to urgently issue visas without any fee to relatives of the blast victims. The official statement acknowledged that Thai security officers immediately secured the area after the incident to thoroughly examine the scene and ensure public safety and security, while emergency services and first aid responders have been deployed at the scene and those injured have been given full medical attention at nearby hospitals. Besides, the official Erawan Emergency Service Centre has been tasked to provide regular updates and the conditions of those hospitalised. The statement urged the public to remain calm and follow up updates. The official statement stressed that perpetrators of the bomb attack would be brought to justice, pointing out that the incident has, nonetheless, served to bring the Thai people together as one in condemning the despicable act. National Police Chief Police General Somyot Pumpunmuang then told reporters that a bombing suspect was seen on closed-circuit cameras installed in the area, stressing that once there is sufficient evidence, police will request Bangkok's Criminal Court to approve an arrest warrant against the suspect. (TNA)