Blast 'not related' to curfew end

Blast 'not related' to curfew end

A grenade explosion at the Rama IX intersection in Bangkok on Friday night had no connection with the lifting of the nationwide curfew, police say.

The intersection of Rama IX and Asok roads was the site of a grenade explosion on Friday night. (Jor Sor 100 photo)

The incident took place shortly before the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) announced the end of the nighttime ban, deputy police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said on Saturday.

He said police suspected that someone might have left the grenade at the intersection and that it exploded after a car accidentally ran over it.

A street battle between rival gangs of teenagers might also have triggered the blast, he added.

The Russian-made RGD-5 hand grenade, which has a destructive radius of six metres, went off at 7.15pm near the left turn to Asok Road. It slightly damaged three cars, a billboard and a police booth. No one was injured. The grenade's safety lever was found at the scene.

Pol Gen Somyot said the NCPO decided to end the curfew entirely because it was confident that no more anti-coup movements were taking place in the country. However, the council might invoke the curfew in areas hit by violence again, he said.

There were no indications that the grenade incident on Friday night was linked to any political activity, he added.

A police booth sustained some damage from the grenade blast. (Jor Sor 100 photo)

The curfew from midnight to 4am was lifted earlier in 25 provinces, mainly tourism destinations, but remained in place in Bangkok and other areas until Friday night.

NCPO spokeswoman Patamaporn Ratanadilok na Phuket said on Saturday that despite the end of the curfew, martial law remained in place.

Even though martial law remained in effect to ensure order, she said, authorities would first enforce normal laws for most crimes.

The NCPO lifted the curfew to improve the atmosphere among the public and tourists but it could be enforced again in any area where there was a movement that would jeopardise security, Miss Patamaporn said.

She also noted that traffic violations, gambling and other crimes dropped during the time the curfew was in place and said people should continue to respect the law even in the absence of the curfew.

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