The bomber is a savage and the bomb he planted at the Erawan Shrine on Ratchaprasong intersection was meant to kill. That came straight from the mouth of Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang, the national police chief, during an interview at the scene of the deadly explosion on Monday night.
The bomber is also a very sick person, conscientious and fully aware of what he did from beginning to end – from the plotting of the atrocity, the making of the bomb, the choice of the target and the timing of the attack, one day after Thailand set a world record for the biggest number of cyclists at an event, the "Bike for Mom" ride . The bomber, too, must have been fully aware of the likely consequences of the attack, that many people would be killed, maimed and injured. But he didn’t care, so long as his objective was achieved -- carnage.
Bodies wrapped in white sheets at the Erawan Shrine, the centre of Monday evening's lethal bomb explosion in Bangkok. - Thanarak Khunton
It is the same mindset shared by the Islamist extremists like the ISIS, Boko Haram and the Taliban, who do not hesitate to kill or mutilate, no matter if the innocent victims are children, women or the elderly.
One of the victims from the bombing last night is a 10-year old Chinese girl, still being treated in hospital for her serious injuries.
Police have not pointed an accusing finger at any particular group as being responsible for this horrible crime. On Tuesday morning they announced 20 people were confirmed dead and 125 others injured, with wounds ranging from very serious to minor.
The first task for police is to look for evidence at the crime scene and in surrounding areas, which may give them a clue as to the "footprint" of the bomb, and this may help them identify the elements responsible for this barbarity.
The other job is to examine footage from all surveillance cameras in the area, in the hope of detecting who planted the bomb under a concrete bench at the fence around the Erawan Shrine.
Maj-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the deputy government spokesman, appeared to have jumped the gun when, in a telephone interview with Channel 3 on Monday night, he implied that "political losers" could be behind the bombing. He also pointed out a false report going around social media on Monday night that schools and government offices in Bangkok would be closed on Tuesday as a consequence of the bombing.
Maj-Gen Sansern said the report was fraudulent and appeared to be the work of elements linked to the bomber.
Then who are these "political losers"? You make your own guess. I don’t want to point an accusing finger yet at any particular groups or individuals. That would be unfair. Evidence is still being collected and it is too early to pass judgement.
Yet, some legitimate questions come to mind. These include: Who would want to scare away tourists? Who would want to kill and maim tourists paying respect at the Erawan Shrine? Who would want to undermine our tourism industry? Who would want to tarnish the image of our country – and the government?
In asking these questions, I may have some potential suspects in mind. But looking back at past political violence in Bangkok, there has never been a devastating bombing like this one. Most were meant to intimidate, to cause panic, not to kill.
So, it is unfair to make accusations now. Let the police and the military to do their job and then announce what they find out.
One thing we can agree on. The bomber is a savage, with no respect whatsoever for human life. He deserves to be condemned in the strongest terms. He must be caught and brought to trial.
