Suthep condemns NBT attack | Bangkok Post: news

The grenade attack on the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand (NBT) television station on Tuesday afternoon was carried out by the same group of people who attacked the yellow-shirt People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters last year, Deputy Prime Minister and Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) director Suthep Thaugsuban said on Wednesday.

"This group of people has been around for a long time, since before this government took office.

"We will not give up until we've gathered all the witnesses and evidence we need, because we still remember how they fired on the yellow-shirts.

"I believe they're from the same group, since their method of attack is the same," Mr Suthep said.

The deputy prime minister in charge of security asked the public to condemn the perpetrators, as the country was at peace and the government was trying to solve the various problems tactfully.

He said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had declared a national reconciliation plan but some groups wanted revenge and vented their anger on the country.

He said this group of people had a history of intimidating and hurting members of the media. If the police force was inadequate to the task over ensuring their security, there would have to be military reinforcements at different locations.

Police in the capital needed to be more stringent in setting up security checkpoints as the attack on NBT happened during the daytime, which was outrageous, he said.

The police did not want to set up more checkpoints during the day as it would lead to heavier traffic congestion and disorder. The culprits were using this opening to cause unrest, he said.

"I've told the police to never surrender in this type of situation. If more checkpoints cannot be set up, we'll deploy more officers at potentially risky areas," he said.

Asked why there were frequent attacks in Bangkok during this period, Mr Suthep said the police will have to arrest the wrongdoers and get the answers from them.

On the CRES plan to shut down a local newspaper, the deputy premier said the centre respected members of the media who were professional and reported the facts, but there were some people who used the media to damage the country by altering the facts and creating social division.

"The CRES will not intervene in the media but we've found out that certain print media has the intention of generating hatred and anger among the people.

"This print media is not Thai Rath, but it is 'Thai Red Power' and I don't even want to remember its name," he said.

Mr Suthep said he respected different opinions of the media but some of them had malicious intentions.