Ref: Asiancorrespondent.com/breakingnews
Thailand's government called for tighter security Thursday after three unexploded bombs were found in the Bangkok area, including one outside a school and another at the Health Ministry.
The bombs were homemade devices hidden inside fire extinguishers and caused no injuries. They were the latest in a spate of unclaimed bombings and attempted attacks that have rattled the Thai capital in recent months.
Bangkok remains under a state of emergency imposed during massive anti-government protests that took over much of the central business district in April and May. Clashes between Red Shirt demonstrators and army and police troops killed 91 people, mostly protesters, and wounded 1,400.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban voiced thinly veiled frustration at the apparent inability to catch suspects and stop the bomb scares, which have continued despite a highly publicized security plan imposed last week that placed more than 400 high-risk spots in the capital under surveillance.
"The culprits have set off explosions many times. The officers must have accumulated evidence and witnesses that could prosecute them for once," Suthep told reporters.
"I have asked the security agencies ... to strictly monitor the areas under their responsibilities," he said, lamenting that "some incidents have slipped through. We therefore need to intensify our measures."
Before sunrise Thursday, police defused a homemade bomb placed on a pavement outside a secondary school in central Bangkok, said police Lt. Chanavin Sinthuya. The device was hidden inside a fire extinguisher that was stashed in a black backpack.
On Wednesday night, police found two similar devices on the outskirts of Bangkok, including one in the parking lot of a shopping mall and the other in the parking lot of the Public Health Ministry's compound, said police Lt. Col. Surasit Sotawong.
Police said the three devices would have produced a blast radius ranging from 50 feet to 100 feet (15 meters to 30 meters).
A half-dozen grenades have exploded since July at targets connected to the government. The attacks have killed one person and wounded a dozen more. There have been no claims of responsibility for any of the attacks.
Last Friday, authorities announced increased security and surveillance at 454 high-risk spots in the Bangkok area. Teams of soldiers and police were assigned to patrol the homes of prominent royal and political figures, checkpoints were set up at government offices and other symbolic locations and security was tightened at public places like shopping malls and banks.
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