DIY explosives pose new threat at rallies

DIY explosives pose new threat at rallies

Internet-based homemade bomb guides make attacks during unrest more likely

Police have warned anti-government protesters they risk not only being injured by mass-produced grenades, but of being attacked by explosive devices which perpetrators can make by following instructions on the internet.

Forensic officers examine the scene where two protest guards wereattacked by motorcyclists throwing firecrackers andping-pongbombs at KokWua intersection on Ratchadamnoen Avenue last month. APICHART JINAKUL

Known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapons include ping-pong bombs, Molotov cocktails and giant firecrackers.

"Making an IED is not difficult these days," said Pol Col Kamthon Uicharoen, the Patrol and Special Operation Division's chief for bomb disposal and identification unit.

"Attackers need no formal training. They can simply learn how to make them from the internet," he said.

Information on at least 11 types of IED have been posted on the internet and their do-it-yourself instructions were presented in simple terms.

A ping-pong bomb is a table tennis ball stuffed with gun powder, while a Molotov cocktail consists of a sealed bottle of petrol and a rag as a fuse.

How to make gunpowder is also explained in detail on some web pages.

Pol Col Kamthon said IEDs are dangerous enough to seriously wound and kill people.

Giant firecrackers, which are stuffed with nails and pieces of glass, can cause severe injuries and damage.

One incident occurred at the rally site of the People's Democratic Force to Overthrow Thaksinism and the Dhamma Army, which are allies of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).

On Dec 29, five guards were injured, one seriously, when a giant firecracker was thrown at their tent on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.

The Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand also complained that giant firecrackers were heard on Jan 16 along Rama V Road near its rally venue close to Government House.

Though the incident caused no casualties, it has raised fresh concerns over the safety of rally-goers amid the standoff between protesters and the caretaker government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

This intensifies the fear of further violence, especially after separate bomb attacks at both rally sites and the homes of prominent people in the dispute.

On the night of Jan 13, an M26 grenade was thrown into the housing compound of Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. Three days later, a bomb of the same type was thrown into the home of Bangkok governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

The most violent bomb attack occurred on Banthat Thong Road on Jan 17 as PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban led supporters during the Bangkok shutdown campaign.

Police identified the bomb as an RGD-5 hand grenade, which killed one person and injured 39 others.

Mr Suthep was not injured in the attack.

Two days later, another RGD-5 grenade was thrown at a rally site near the Victory Monument, wounding 29 people including a female journalist.

Though IEDs have so far caused less severe damage than mass-manufactured weapons, Pol Col Kamthon warned this fact should not put security officers' and protesters' minds at ease.

People who make IEDs can "lift the level of their attack" by turning them into time bombs detonated by a mobile phone or remote control, he said.

Attacks using these tactics have been reported in the insurgency-plagued provinces of the far South.

Safety measures at rally sites, including inspecting people for explosive devices is a good way to prevent bomb attacks.

However, controlling internet information on how to make bombs is hard.

"We cannot completely control internet content because many websites have been created abroad," Pol Col Kamthon said.

Worse, he added, there are also Thai language versions of bomb-making instructions being spread online.

Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th

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