Gen Prayuth Chan-o-cha on Tuesday afternoon expressed condolences for the losses from Tuesday’s evening bomb at a popular shrine in Bangkok’s shopping district, while stressing the junta’s control over the security situation in Bangkok. Meanwhile, another bomb went off at a busy pier in Bangkok with no casualties.
“Whenever the people are hurt, I am hurt even more,” the prime minister and leader of National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said on Tuesday 18 August 2015. Prayuth then urged citizens to help him “get rid of danger and evil” so that the situation will return to normal. He also urged the media and social media to present news in “creative ways” and not share information, pictures, videos, or opinions during the investigation period that could confuse the general public.
Regarding foreigners, Prayuth stated that his junta “promises to protect your lives and belongings to the best of our ability, and will keep you updated.”
Finally, he asked for everyone’s cooperation in “investigating abnormal activity, promoting the NCPO’s good actions, and creating understanding throughout the nation to stabilize the country and our beloved institution.”
Prayut stresses that his junta has the situation in Bangkok under control
On Tuesday around 7pm, at least 20 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a bomb went off at Erawan shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection, Bangkok’s shopping district.
Right after Prayuth’s message, NCPO spokesmen detailed the recompenses for bomb victims in three languages: Thai, English and Chinese as some of the people killed by the bomb are Chinese tourists.
According to the announcement, Thai citizens will receive the following compensation fees from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration: hospital fees not exceeding 30,000 baht, physical and mental rehabilitation costs not exceeding 20,000 baht, 200 baht per day for a year if unable to work, 600 baht a day to cover costs of recovery rooms, and 30,000 baht to cover miscellaneous fees.
Foreigners can contact their respective embassies or the Ministry of Sport and Tourism for their compensation fees: 100,000 baht if injured, and 300,000 for the deceased.
NCPO spokesmen give compensation details in Thai, English, and Chinese
The secretary office of the NCPO will also deploy assigned security task force troops and police officers throughout the city, said the spokesman. In the provinces, the troops will be stationed at major tourist attractions.
There will also be checkpoints at key locations to search suspicious individuals, said the spokesman.
The investigation is still ongoing, including the search for the perpetrators’ motives, he continued. Therefore, the NCPO urges the media and the public to be considerate when consuming news, and to wait for investigation results.
This morning CCTV footage of the Erawan Shrine right before the bombing revealed a bomb suspect, a young man in a yellow shirt leaving a backpack at the shrine before walking away.
Another bomb was found around 9.30am at Sathorn Pier, near Saphan Taksin, Bangkok. It was reportedly thrown into the Chao Phraya river, where it exploded, shooting water into the air. No one was injured.
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